Penny Black: For you - boy's 8th birthday card

Hi blogging friends!  Thanks for stopping by :-)

I made a quick little card for my girlfriend's son's 8th birthday.  I was very inspired by Susan Raihala's children's cards on this post here on her blog:  Simplicity and really loved the layout.  Susan is the "Queen of CAS" IMHO (in my humble opinion) and I learn so much from following her Blog.  Susan's cards are always so well-balanced - something I struggle with at times.

Getting back to my card........I know that you have seen this little Penny Black dog before on my Blog, but I just love him because he is so easy to colour and is a fantastic stamp for masculine cards.  I love his happy little face and he makes me smile everytime I look at him :-)

I stamped both the image and sentiment with Vintage Sepia ink and heatset it with my heat-gun to ensure the ink didn't run when I added OMS to it.  I coloured the image with my trusty pencils and OMS.  I wanted the present to have a little bit of dimension, so I cut out some little pieces of Olive Green Glitter cardstock and glued them on top of the present on the image.  I really love this range of glitter cardstock by Best Creations - you will get soooo tired of seeing it on my cards LOL!   I lightly chalked around the image with blue chalk (but you can't really see it in the photo - trust me - it's there). 

I then layered the image onto - yep, you guessed it - the same green glitter cardstock - then onto Kraft cardstock. The Kraft cardstock was embossed with one of the embossing folders from my Sizziz "Birthday set #3"; I ran it through my Cuttlebug using the same sandwich as for Cuttlebug folders, ie: A plate, B plate, folder with cardstock, B plate.

Well, that's my simple card - and I didn't even use any ribbon which was soooo hard as I kept thinking I should put one somewhere, but couldn't figure out where, so I left it off.  I guess I figured that if Susan didn't put one on her card, I didn't need one either; sometimes less is more (if you know what I mean!).

Challenges:

I am entering this card into the Splitcoaststampers 'Ways to use it' Challenge WT309 of 'Happy Birthday' where you have to use any sort of birthday products on your project, even if it's just a sentiment.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Dog - Penny Black 'For you' 3446E, Sentiment from Penny Black 'Make a wish' clear set 30-052

Ink:  Versafine Vintage Sepia

Designer paper:  Best Creations Olive green glitter cardstock

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Sizzix Textured Impressions #656504 Birthday set #3, heatgun, Kindyglitz red glitter glue, Kaisercolour blue chalk, Derwent Coloursoft and Prismacolor pencils, Odourless Mineral Spirits (OMS), paper stumps

CAS Birthday card using Craft Concepts Budding Vine embossing folder

Hi and welcome to my Blog :-)

My BIL's sister recently turned 70 and this is the quick and simple birthday card I made for her.   The beautiful embossing folder is called Budding Vine" by Craft Concepts - I really LOVE this folder - one of my favs - but honestly, if you didn't have this folder, you could use lots of other ones, eg: Craft Concepts Cottage Floral, Cuttlebug Textile or Jamara etc, Crafts Too Damask, or there are some lovely similar ones by other manufacturers.

Once I embossed the pink cardstock, I then cut the pink cardstock card base to size.  I have found by experience, particularly when you use a folder that is very detailed, that it "shrinks" the cardstock, so that if you had it just the right size for your base, it won't be anymore!!   I popped the embossed panel up on foam tape as I wanted a little bit of dimension.

I added the ribbon in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy which are now in stock at Fat Cat's Card Corner.  The sentiment panel was diecut with my Oval Nesties, and the sentiment itself was stamped with Dusty Plum pigment ink and heat-embossed with Satin Pearl clear embossing powder which I really love for my heat-embossing - it doesn't turned out as "shiny or glossy" as regular clear embossing powder.  I ran my ink pad around the edges of the panel and popped the panel up on 2mm mounts (dimensionals).

Lastly, I added the 3 pink rhinestones.

I do not know who made the sentiment - it has a number on it, but no Company name.  I tried Googling it, but came up with nothing - I suspect it might be an Australian stamp manufacturer - it's been in my stash since dinosaurs roamed the earth - I forgot I had it, but I love how "swirly" it is and ties in with the Budding Vine embossing folder!   If you do know the stamp manufacturer, please leave me a comment and I will update my post.

And here is the same card which uses Bazzill Bling "Icy Teal" cardstock (not sure of the actual cardstock name - it's just what I call it!).  And of course, I changed the pearls on the sentiment panel to Bliss SB718 and the ink I used for the sentiment was Versacolor Laurel Leaf pigment.  I made this card for my sister-in-laws 60th birthday.  The Bazzill Bling cardstock looks so sparkly IRL - but I think you can see some of the "sparkle" from the photo.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card #1 Recipe:

Stamps:  Best Wishes E238 (unknown brand name)

Ink:  Colorbox Dusty Plum pigment

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Spellbinder Oval Nestabilities, Craft Concepts Budding Vine embossing folder, Bow Easy, pink organza ribbon, satin pearl clear embossing powder, heat-gun, foam tape, 2mm mounts, Kaiser pink rhinestones SB701, cardstock: pink, white

Penny Black dog with rose and NEW Nellie Snellen Doily Flower Multiframes

Hi and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!  Did you make any New Year Resolutions?  I made one - and that is to "do the insides of my cards before I move onto the next card"!!  Are you like me, and once you do the front of the card, you leave the inside for "later on"?   And, then I often seem to smudge the inside sentiment because I am in such a hurry, or I stamp it upside down or crookedly!   UGGH!!   I hadn't done any of the insides of my Christmas cards last year so I had this last-minute rush to do them - but not this year - and so far, with the cards I have made (even though they are not Christmas cards), I have done the insides! Yay me!

Anyway, I am so happy that you stopped by, because I have some gorgeous new Nellie Snellen Flower Multiframe dies to show you.  You can find them HERE at Fat Cat's Card Corner.  Aren't they just so pretty?  Just like a lace doily.  There are 3 lacey dies and 3 matching plain circles in the set.  You use the same sandwich in your Cuttlebug as for Spellbinder Nestabilities, ie: A Plate, C Plate, Die face up, cardstock, B Plate. 

For my card, I decided to make a Circle Card using my Spellbinder Large Circle Nesties.  You simple fold a piece of cardstock in half, and line up the Circle Nestie just near the fold of the card - see this pic:

And run it through your Cuttlebug using the usual A, C and B plate combo for Spellbinder dies - and yes, it DOES cut through the 2 layers of cardstock - it's just regular cardstock - nothing special - but you should always check your own machine and NEVER EVER force a sandwich through if it feels very tight.  Here is an extra-close-up piccy:

Hey, I just realised the background looks like a swimming pool full of water!  But it's just my glass-topped table on our decking.  I had to take the photo there because it was over 40degC outside (about 104degF) with a blistering hot north wind, so I couldn't take my photos in my usual place because my Nestie/cardstock would have blown away!

You can diecut any shaped card with your Dies - and it's really nice to make something different other than a square or rectangle-shaped card.  Go on - have a play!!

This cute little dog is from a Penny Black Clear Set called "Critter Party" and was coloured with Derwent Coloursoft Pencils and OMS.   I chalked the blue sky background and added some pink Pearlescent I-Kan-dee chalk here and there - which isn't picked up by the camera but adds a gorgeous shimmer and is so pretty IRL.   The sentiment is from a retired Elzybells Spring Cubes clear set and I added a tiny pink rhinestone either side of it.  I added some Cotton Candy Stickles to the rose and the dog's cheeks, plus the tiny pink hearts which are the leftover punchies from using my Arrows Border punch.  This panel was diecut with the circle die from the Multiframes set, and the pink circle was diecut with my Spellbinder Circle Nesties.

The bow was made with my Bow Easy - which Fat Cat's now have in stock.  Lastly, I sewed on the button, then glued the ribbon to the card using Fabric glue.

Are you ready for a pic of the inside?  Yes, I really did the inside of the card!

This sentiment is another retired Elzybells rubber stamp - wish Elzybells was still around :-(

Thanks for stopping by!   Have you made any New Year Crafting/Cardmaking Resolutions?  Drop me a comment - I'd love to hear from you!

I'll be back when I can with another card - being Summer holidays here, my posting will not be as regular plus I am having some computer issues whilst I have been upgrading my computer which is eating into my free-time (very frustrating!!).   Hope to see you again soon!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Dog with rose - Penny Black "Critter Party" clear set 

              Sentiment (card front):  Elzybells Spring Cubes 20-015-CC clear set

              Sentiment (card inside):  Elzybells "A beautiful day" rubber stamp

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Spellbinder Circle Nestabilities, Nellie Snellen Doily Flower Multiframes MFD020, Derwent Coloursoft pencils, OMS, paper stumps, Kaisercolour blue chalk, I-Kan-dee Pearlescent chalk, Cotton Candy (pink) Stickles, pink rhinestones, gingham ribbon, Bow Easy, heart button, pink sewing thread, Cardstock:  brown, pink, KW Doggett Knight White

Punches:  EK Success Arrows Border punch

Stamping Bella Monstah Bash boy's birthday card

Hi and thanks for stopping by :-) Hope you've got your sunglasses handy for my super-BRIGHT card!

It is my nephew's 7th birthday so this is the card I made for him.  Technically, he is my GREAT-nephew but is the same age as my DD - talk about a generation gap!  I don't really like saying GREAT nephew - it makes me feel like a dinosaur!

The challenge over at Mark's Finest Papers Challenge #30 is "Circles" so I tried to have lots of circles on the various elements on the card which was lots of fun and I like how it all came together nicely (LOVE it when that happens - sometimes just finding a matching ribbon can be frustrating!).

When I saw this designer paper at my local scrapbooking store, I HAD to have it - I just LOVE the little monsters on it and LOVED the colours - and thought it would go perfectly with this Monster image - I think they were "made for each other"!   I coloured the monsters with Prismacolor pencils, Derwent Coloursoft pencils and OMS, then added some white Liquid Applique to the bumps, feelers and teeth.  Once that dried overnight, I heated the Liquid Applique with my heat-gun to make it 'puff up', then used a paper stump that had blue colour on it, dipped it in OMS, then coloured the bumps on the orange monster, and used a paper stump with orange colour on the teeth on all the monsters plus the feelers on the green monster.  I added some blue glitter to the balloon with Designer Dries Clear adhesive. You can see a close-up of the liquid applique here - it's such cool stuff, isn't it?!

The green cardstock on the side panel was embossed using my Argyle embossing folder, and I ended up adding the orange cardstock underneath the blue/green panel because it looked a little "lost" on the background and the orange just seemed to add some brightness to it.  

The sentiment was stamped with Lime pigment ink and heat-embossed with clear embossing powder.  The sentiment has a blue Petite Scalloped Circle around it, but you can hardly see it!  When I bought my Scalloped Circle Nesties, I bought the Petite ones by mistake instead of the Large ones so the scallops are really tiny on the smaller dies in this set.

Both the image panel and the sentiment are up on 1mm mounts (dimensionals).  The ribbon was attached in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.

Because the designer paper has lines on it that are wavy, it kind of looks like my cardstock or the dp isn't cut straight, but trust me: it is - it's just an optical illusion!  Lastly, I added the 3 different coloured brads in the bottom RH corner - I put the colours in the same order as I coloured the monsters.

Thanks for have a peek at my Blog - hope to see you again soon :-)

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Monstah Bash cc183 - Stamping Bella, Sentiment: Stampin' Up Riveting set (retired)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black, Versacolor Lime pigment

Designer paper:  Reminisce Monster Parade

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Argyle embossing folder, Spellbinder: Circle Nesties, Petite Scalloped Circle Nesties, Rectangle Nesties, Scalloped Rectangle Nesties, Bow Easy, orange polka-dot ribbon, 1mm mounts (dimensionals), clear embossing powder, heat-gun, white liquid applique, paper piercer, Art Institute fine blue glitter (from Shabby Chic set), Designer Dries Clear adhesive, brads: orange, green, blue, Cardstock: KW Doggett "Knight" white, Colormates Dark Belgium blue, Irish green, orange

Punches:  EK Success Arrows border

Basket of roses for an 80th birthday!

Hello and thanks for visiting :-)

I've been a bit quiet on the cardmaking-front this week: it's school holidays plus I haven't been well - but I did manage to make this card which is for a lady's 80th birthday which was quick and easy.  I didn't want the card to 'SHOUT' 80 years old because I know this person wouldn't like it - so I just merely tried to make something elegant and pretty for the occasion.  This basket of roses is an old PSX (Personal Stamp Exchange) stamp which I have had forever.  PSX are no longer in business but I believe Inkadinkado bought alot of their beautiful designs.  I did actually find this PSX stamp on EBay USA for about US$8 - and then found another one for US$52!!  Eeek - it pays to check your prices!!  Some of the rarer PSX stamps sell for heaps on EBay - I am sitting on a goldmine - pity I love them so much that I don't want to sell them!!  Anyway, enough waffling, and onto the card itself.......

I stamped the image with Versafine Vintage Sepia, heat-set it, then coloured it with OMS and a mix Prismacolor and Derwent Colorsoft pencils.  I added some pink I-Kan-dee Pearlescent chalk around the image which adds a soft, subtle sparkle - alas not really captured by the camera :-(

The tiny pink hearts are the leftover punchies from my EK Success Arrows border punch; I added some pink AI glitter to them.

The BEAUTIFUL white embossed background was done with a new embossing folder by an Australian company called Craft Concepts which only arrived in my mailbox this week.  I had it on Pre-order for months and so glad it's finally here.  Not sure if you can get it outside Australia.  It uses the same sandwich in your Cuttlebug as other folders, ie: A plate, B plate, folder w/cardstock, B plate.  

Please note that the pink cardstock deckled oval was hand-cut so I could have a small border to the main image panel.  The ribbon was made in 2 separate elements, and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.

The sentiment is from a set by Elzybells who are closing on the 30th September :-(   Just checked on their website, and it's sold out.

Challenges:  I am entering this card into Bizzy Becs Creatalicious Challenge #14 of pink, brown and green.  See this link for the deets.

I am also popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers 'Free for All' Challenge F4A24 of "It's garden pickin' time" where the main image is from your garden - either fruit or flowers.  As it is Spring here where I live and my garden is alive with daffodils, anemones, freesias and carpet roses after a long, cold Winter, I HAD to pick flowers for the main image.

Thanks again for stopping by - hope to see you again soon!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  PSX G-2548 (retired), Sentiment: from Elzybells Spring Cubes 20-015-CC clear stamp set (no longer available)

Ink:  Versafine Vintage Sepia

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Spellbinder Large Deckled Oval Nestabilities, Craft Concepts Budding Vine embossing folder, I-Kan-Dee pearlescent chalk, OMS, Prismacolor pencils, Derwent Coloursoft pencils, paper stumps, Art Institute pink glitter, Bow Easy, pink sheer ribbon, heat-gun, Cardstock: KW Doggett Knight white, Bazzill pink, Basic Grey pink rhinestones

Punches:  EK Success Arrows border, Stampin' Up corner

Popcorn the Bear - Thanks a Bunch - sunflowers birthday card

Hello and welcome to my Blog!  I am finally back on deck after being away for about 2 weeks.  Yay!!  You might need your sunglasses for this card!!

I needed to make a birthday card for my Godfather's partner's birthday this week.  She is a wonderful and vibrant lady who emigrated to Australia from the Philippines about 20 or so years ago.  I know that she really LOVES bright colours, so when I was looking for some ideas, I came across the Splitcoaststampers Inspiration Challenge IC249 - 'Cost Plus World Market' website - where you choose an image that inspires you - and I chose the orange scarf from the 3 photos they had there because it was so bright and cheerful, plus when I thought of yellow/orange, I thought of sunflowers, and chose this picture as well from the Cost Plus World Market website.  I would love to have a field of sunflowers in my backyard just like in the picture - they just exude warmth and vibrancy.  And then I remembered I had this 'Popcorn the Bear' image holding the huge bunch of sunflowers - ahh, perfect!  

I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo black ink and coloured it with Odourless Mineral Spirits (OMS) and Prismacolor pencils then chalked the sky and ground.  I ticket-punched the corners.  The tag was diecut with my Cuttlebug and one of the Tiny Tags dies; I lightly inked around the tag with 'Olive Pastel' chalk ink so the edges would stand out better against the main image panel.  I stamped the sentiment with Stazon Jet Black - I find this ink seems to work better with clear (photopolymer) stamps (as opposed to rubber) and I get a clearer image.

The orange designer paper is by My Mind's Eye and comes from a 6" x 6" pad (of some 48 sheets) called "Bloom and Grow" and was already embossed (just in case you thought I put the paper thru my Cuttlebug).

The tiny orange hearts near the duck and on the tag are the leftover punchies from my Arrows Border punch, which I added a bit of glitter to.  I attached the ribbon in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.

Challenges:  I am entering this card into the Allsorts Challenge Week 69 of Colours of Autumn.  I think mine should qualify with the orange, green, brown and yellow tones.

Thanks again for stopping by - I'll be back in a few days with another card!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Crafter's Companion 'Popcorn the Bear' Thanks a bunch PST-TKS unmounted set, Sentiments from Impression Obsession Sentiments 1 WP16 clear set

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black, Stazon Jet black, Colorbox Olive Pastel chalk

Designer paper:  My Mind's Eye 'Bloom and Grow' 6 x 6 pad

Punches:  EK Success Arrows border, Stampin' Up Ticket corner punch and Horizontal slot punch

Accessories:  Cuttlebug + Tiny Tags die set, ribbon, Bow Easy, OMS, Prismacolor pencils, paper stumps, Kaisercolour chalks, Kindyglitz Crystalina, burnt orange brads, Cardstock:  KW Doggett 'Knight' (white), burnt orange, pale olive

Penny Black 'For you' - a birthday card for my Godfather

Hi and welcome to my little Blog :-)  This is a scheduled post because I won't have access to my computer for 2 weeks - it will be very strange to not use it - eek - I think I will feel naked!! Anyway, onto the card.......

I made this quick and simple birthday card for my Godfather's birthday.  Hope you're not tired of looking at dog cards!  We have so many male birthdays in August in my family - I feel like it's a production line!   I have used one of my favourite sketches from Splitcoaststampers SC278 - it's a great sketch because you can have lots of layers or very few.  This time I used a circle for the centre image instead of a square.

Not much to explain really.  I stamped the image with Versafine Vintage Sepia and coloured it with OMS and Prismacolor pencils, then lightly chalked around the image.  I stamped the image again and cut out just the present, added some fine blue glitter with AI glue just to add a little "zing" to the card, then popped it up on 1mm mounts (dimensionals).

I used a Horizontal Slot Punch to punch the hole for threading the ribbon thru just for something a little different but not too fancy for a guy's card.

Easy peasy!

I'm also popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers 'Free for All' Challenge F4A17 of "Man's Best Friend" which can be a dog, cat, goldfish, reptile - any pet you like.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black 'For you' 3446E

Ink:  Versafine Vintage Sepia

Designer paper:  Digital by NitWit Collections Fat Quarter Bundle Series "Me-Wow" ©2009 by Mary Fran of www.nitwitcollections.com

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Spellbinder Square Nestabilities, Circle Nestabilities, Petite Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Art Institute blue glitter (from Shabby Chic set), Art Institute Designer Dries Clear adhesive, 1mm mounts (dimensionals), grosgrain ribbon, OMS, Prismacolor pencils, Kaisercolour chalks, Stampin' Up Horizontal Slot punch, paw pad button by Buttons Galore: Pet - Little Paws, Cardstock:  chocolate, mustard, KW Doggetts Knight (white)

Penny Black Feeding Frenzy - birthday card for my BIL

Hello and welcome to my Blog!

I made this little birthday card for my BIL's birthday - he loves dogs so it wasn't a hard choice to pick a stamp with a Penny Black dog on it!  I only bought this cute little stamp the other day and couldn't wait to ink it up - it's so adorable - and I love how their little tails are furiously wagging.

I stamped the image onto Watercolour paper and watercoloured it with acrylic paints.  The main image panel and sentiment are up on mounts (dimensionals),   The bone is a button and the designer paper is digital.

The sentiment stamp originally had a present in the centre, but I masked it out so I could put the paw pad button there instead.

I am popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers 'Free for All' F4A17 Challenge of 'Man's Best Friend' eg: dog, cats, fish, reptiles etc. 

Plus I am also entering the card into the 'Stampin' for the Weekend' Challenge 45 of 'Anything Goes' which can be anything as long as it has a stamped or digi image on it.  Makes it a nice and easy challenge :-)

Thanks again for stopping by!  Back in a few days with another card.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black 'Feeding Frenzy' 1701H, Sentiment - Stampin' Up 'Riveting' set

Ink:  Stazon Jet black, Colorbox Chestnut Roan chalk

Designer paper: NitWit Collections Fat Quarter Bundle Series "Me-Wow" ©2009 by Mary Fran of www.nitwitcollections.com

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Swiss dots embossing folder, Spellbinder, Circle Nestabilities, 140lb Watercolour paper, JoSonya acrylic paints, paintbrushes, Shelly's buttons & more - Tiny Dogs, chocolate grosgrain ribbon, 1mm/1.5mm mounts (dimensionals), paper piercer, Bazzill InStitchz mat (used for piercing), Cardstock: mustard, chocolate

Inkadinkado 'Standing Seagull' - birthday card for my BIL

Hi and thanks for stopping by :-)

It was my BIL's birthday late last week and this is the card I made for him - now that he has the card, I can post it here. 

I stamped the image onto Watercolour paper and watercoloured it with Acrylic paints.  The teal blue frame was popped up on 1mm mounts (dimensionals) over the image then I added the brads so it kind-of-looks like a porthole.

The sentiment was diecut with one my Spellbinders Tags Trio dies - I lightly inked around the sentiment with Creamy Brown chalk ink - then popped it up on 1mm mounts.

I am popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers "Way to use it" Challenge WT281 of 'Wonderful Woodgrain'.  The Challenge gave me the perfect excuse to use my Distressed Stripes embossing folder (which I have hardly used) for the brown cardstock base and seemed to be the obvious choice to match my image.  I lightly sanded the cardstock to highlight the embossing.  

I am also entering this card into the Simon Says Challenge of "There ain't no cure for the Summertime blues" where your summery creation has to have some blue in it - I have used one of my fav colours: Teal Blue.  And of course, what could be more summery than a seagull!

Thanks again for visiting - hope to see you again very soon!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Inkadinkado 'Standing Seagull' 99205-DD, Sentiment from: Penny Black 'Critter Party' clear stamp set

Ink:  Stazon Jet Black, Colorbox Chalk: Prussian Blue and Creamy Brown

Designer paper:  Kaisercraft Reminiscing P203 Hold Dear

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Distressed Stripes embossing folder, Spellbinder Large and Small Oval Nestabilities + Labels Trio S3-147, 140lb Watercolour paper, JoSonya acrylic paints, paintbrushes, mounts (dimensionals), EK Success Open Scallop border punch, grosgrain ribbon 15mm-9/16" wide, Fray Stop (for the cut ribbon edges), 10 x brads (Printblocks), sandpaper, Cardstock: Provincial beige, teal blue

Penny Black Celebrating - my DH's birthday card

Hi and welcome to my Blog :-)

I made this quick little card for my DH's birthday this past week.  Now that he has the card in his hot little hand, I can post it here.  I tried to colour the cat in similar colours to our own cat - Ruby.  There is a photo of Ruby on the LHS of my Blog if you want to see her.  She is such a character and fetches just like a dog (mainly with pipecleaners or hair scrunchies), and if she wants your attention, she will drop something at your feet or your lap, stand back and miaow at you for you to throw it.  She is one cute puss!


Anyway, enough waffling and onto the card!  I diecut the circle from the blue cardstock first then ran the cardstock thru my Cuttlebug using my new Indentz embossing folder (which I sourced from the UK). 

Recently I rang KW Doggetts (an Australian paper company) for a Sample Pack of different brands of smooth white cardstock specifically to use for the Gamsol Magic/Magic Coloured Pencil technique.  They were very helpful and generous with what they sent me - and all for free!!   I had a great old play and found that their brand: "Knight" smooth cardstock was magical - the colours blend out so beautifully and perfectly, and this is the cardstock I used for this birthday card.  And it's so white.  Much whiter than Beckett Radiance.  It was an absolute joy to colour!!!  In fact, I was so impressed, that I rang and placed an order and asked for 12" x 12" size which is very practical for my square cards 'cos I can just cut them in half.  My order was ready in a day and I was able to go and pick it up from their factory which is only about 20 mins drive from where I live.  They have a retail store where you can grab a box and fill it up with different coloured/brands of cardstock/vellums for a set price - ahhh, it was heavenly!!  I have no connection to them, but thought it was worth mentioning if you love using the Gamsol Magic technique, but don't know what cardstock to get if you are in Australia.  You can just ring up and ask for a sample pack and then you can decide what weight (ie: gsm) you like to use.  I believe they have offices in some of the other States of Australia.


I lightly coloured the background with blue chalk (which you can hardly tell from the photo!).  I added Art Institute transparent light blue glitter to the balloon.  The tiny hearts next to the sentiment are the leftover punchies from my EK Success Arrows border punch.

The fawn cardstock border was made with a Threading Water punch, and I added a Scor-Pal line above it.

Thanks again for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black 'Celebrating' 1472E, Sentiment from Crafter's Companion 'Popcorn the Bear' Bunches of Love set  

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Indentz 'Happy Birthday' embossing folder, EK Success Arrows border punch, Fiskars Threading Water punch, AI blue glitter (from Shabby Chic set), AI Designer dries clear adhesive, Spellbinder Circle Nestabilities, Scor-Pal, Kaisercolour chalks, OMS, Prismas, fawn and blue gingham ribbon, Cardstock: royal blue, fawn, KW Doggetts Knight smooth white 

Stampendous Bee Daisy - bee happy on your birthday!

Hi and welcome to my Blog :-)

I had to make a quick card for my niece's birthday later this week, so this is what I came up with.

The beautiful embossed frame is by Craftwork Cards which I bought from The Craft Barn in the UK.  They come in packs of ten with all sorts of designs and are perfect for square cards which I love to make, and I love that they have the scalloped edge too. 

I coloured the bee with OMS and Prismas, then glued on black and yellow Fun Flock using Art Institute Designer dries clear adhesive, then added clear glitter to his wings, pink to his antennae, plus pink and lemon glitter to the flower.  I lightly chalked around the image too.  The tiny lemon and pink hearts are the leftover punchies from my Arrows Border punch (but your probably already know that by now if you follow my Blog 'cos I use them ALL the time.....lol).

Here is a little close-up of the flocking.  I keep wanting to "feel" the little bee - he's so soft and furry!

I'm popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers CAS75 Challenge of dry embossing.  See this link for the deets.

Thanks again for stopping by.  Have a great week!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stampendous CRE214 Cling Bee Daisy, Sentiment: from Crafter's Companion 'Popcorn the Bear' Bunches of Love set

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black

Accessories:  Odourless Mineral Spirits, Prismacolor pencils, paper stumps, Stampendous Fun Flock: Lemonade Yellow and Black, Art Institute transparent glitter: pink, crystal and pink (from Shabby Chic set), Art Institute designer dries clear glue, Kaisercolour chalks, EK Success Arrows border punch, Stampin' Up corner punch, Craftworks cards embossed frames: mixed bouquet, ribbon, Bow Easy, Cardstock: white, pink, lemon

Penny Black Party Time and Cuttlebug Grace's Frame + a Blog Award

 

Hello, and welcome to my escape from the ironing basket!

I made this card for the Splitcoaststampers 'Free for All' Challenge F4A20 of 'Show us What Ya Got' where you find the most recent thing you purchased that is still in its package and use it - see this link for the deets - so it didn't take much prompting to open up my new Penny Black clear stamp set - the newly released "Party Time".  I also just recently bought this Cuttlebug Grace's Frame embossing folder from Fat Cat's Card Corner, so I couldn't wait to rip open the packaging and use this gorgeous folder.

I'm also popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple CAS75 Challenge of 'Dry Embossing'. See this link for the deets.

The image was coloured with Odourless Mineral Spirits and Prismacolor pencils.  I stamped a 2nd image and cut out just the present and popped it up on a 1mm mount (dimensional).   I went to town with the pink glitter on the balloon and present - {sigh} - I just love glitter - messy but I love sparkly things!!   I lightly chalked around the image with Kaisercolour chalks for the blue sky.   The bow was made with my Bow Easy.  The pink colour of the bow matches perfectly to the pink cardstock IRL, but for some reason, the pink cardstock looks a bit more purpley-pink in the photo.  The pink cardstock was embossed with my Jamara embossing folder.

This card took me very little time to make and will be going to my 3 year old niece for her birthday later this week.

* Two Awards from Anna in Wisconsin, USA *

Anna from her Blog: Anna's Papercrafts has been so kind and given me not one, but TWO Blog Awards and made some lovely comments about my Blog - thank you sweetie - it really made my day!  Anna is a newbie to the Blogging world having started blogging only a few months ago and posts nearly every day.

I am supposed to pass this award onto 10 other Bloggers.  I would love to pass it on to countless bloggers who have inspired me and encouraged me - every single person is worthy and it is impossible to choose - I truly think you are all amazing.  I'll just list a couple for now:

Lollychops - Lolly is incredibly crafty lady and among other things, has these amazing Flower tutorials.  Recently I crocheted some of the flowers using the tutorials from her Blog and I was so happy with how they turned out.

Indigo Inklings - Jay has lots of Cuttlebug & embossing folder tutorials, Coloured Pencil tutorials, Big Shot tutorials - I have learnt so much from her.

Thanks again for stopping by and thank you for all the lovely comments you have been leaving - they are so appreciated.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Sentiment and Hedgie by Penny Black: Party Time 30-049 clear set 

 

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black 

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Grace's Frame and Jamara embossing folders, Prismacolor pencils, OMS, paper stumps, 1mm mounts (dimensionals), Art Institute transparent pink glitter (from Shabby Chic set), Art Institute Designer dries clear adhesive, pink satin ribbon, Bow Easy, Stampin' Up Corner punch, Kaisercolour chalks, pink gems, cardstock: white, pink

Cuttlebug Perfect Perennials Birthday Card

Hello and thanks for stopping by to have a peek at my Blog :-)

Woo hoo!   I'm actually on-time for another Splitcoaststampers Challenge!  This card is for the CAS75 Challenge of Dry Embossing.  If you follow my Blog, you will know that I LOVE my Cuttlebug so the Challenge gave me the perfect excuse to use my new Cuttlebug 'Perfect Perennials' die/embossing folder combo.  It's so handy to be able to emboss and diecut a window at the same time; I can see myself using this folder alot for quick and simple cards.  The corners were all rounded with my SU corner punch.

I coloured the hedgie with OMS and Prismacolor pencils, then lightly chalked around the image for the sky and ground, and added a bit of pink chalk as well to match the pink cardstock.  The hedgie looks a bit washed out in the photo but it isn't IRL - the pink embossed cardstock came out really dark in the photo so I had to lighten it which made the hedgie a bit too light, and this was about the best adjustment I could get to make the whole card look kinda normal!

I added some fine crystal glitter to the flowers, the hedgie's envelope and the tiny heart (which is the leftover punchie from my Arrows border punch) next to the sentiment.   I attached the ribbon in 2 separate elements and made the bow itself with my Bow Easy (don't know what I'd do without my Bow Easy!).

This card is going to my SIL for her birthday.  Thanks again for visiting!  TTFN!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Hedgie from Penny Black: Party Time 30-049 clear set, Sentiment: Crafter's Companion Someone Special Popcorn the Bear set 

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug 'Perfect Perennials' Emboss Plus, pink gems, odourless mineral spirits, paper stumps, Prismacolor pencils, Kaisercolour chalks, Art Institute crystal transparent glitter, Art Institute designer dries clear adhesive, Stampin' Up corner punch, EK Success Arrows Border punch, ribbon, Bow Easy, cardstock: white, pink

Crafter's Companion Bunches of Love for my niece's birthday

Hi and welcome to my Blog :-)

I made this card for this week's Ways to Use it Challenge on Splitcoaststampers WT278 Yellow sunshine where you are to use yellow in a card.  See this link for the deets.  Yellow is not a colour I use very often, so this challenge gave me the perfect excuse to ink up this cute little duck.

This clean & simple (CAS) little one-layer card is going to my niece for her birthday.  Not a whole lot to explain really - the duck is from an unmounted 'Popcorn the bear' set by Crafter's Companion - and was coloured with Odourless Mineral Spirits and Prismascolor pencils, then I added some little strokes with watered-down acrylic paint to add some feathers (you will probably need to click on the piccy to see them), then blended the feathers in by adding a wash of watered down yellow paint over the top.  I did a similar thing with the centre of the flower too.  I love how you can combine the pencils and paint to create some "extra" texture to an image.

Because I am the Glitter Queen, I added pink glitter to the duck's heart and purple glitter to the flower petals and around the edge of the sentiment tag.  The tiny little purple and lemon hearts underneath the birthday sentiment are the leftover punchies from my Arrows border punch.

I chalked around the image for the sky and ground and lightly chalked the dry embossing.  I attached the ribbon in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.

Thanks again for stopping by - have a great weekend!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Bunches of Love set by Crafter's Companion, Impression Obsession Sentiments 1 WP16

Ink:  Stazon Jet Black (for the sentiments) and Memento Tuxedo black (for the duck)

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Sizzix Textured Impressions 'Hello Kitty Spring Set' #2 embossing folder, Odourless Mineral Spirits, Prismacolor Pencils, paper stumps, Kaisercolour chalks, JoSonya Acrylic paints, paint brushes, Bow Easy, yellow button, yellow sewing thread, 12mm-1/2" wide ribbon, Art Institute Transparent Glitter - pink and purple from Shabby Chic set, Art Institute Designer Dries clear adhesive, EK Success Arrows border punch, Cardstock: white, purple, lemon

Lili of the Valley Challenge #55 - Thomas big bunch of flowers

Hello and welcome to my Blog :-)

My DD will be turning 7 very soon and this is the card I made for her birthday.  Her favourite colour is pink and she loves cats, flowers, butterflies and glitter, so this is what I came up with.  The Lili of the Valley image of 'Thomas - big bunch of Flowers' was the perfect choice.  And of course, I had to colour Thomas in the same colours as our own cat Ruby.  There is a little pic of  Ruby on the LHS of my Blog - scroll down to find it if you want to see her. 

Over at the Lili of the Valley Challenge Blog, the fortnightly challenge #55 is a Sketch Challenge plus flowers.  Here is the Sketch:

I really love this layout and I'm sure I will use it again.

The image was coloured with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol.  I added Art Institute very fine transparent pale lemon/pale pink glitter to all the flowers plus the punched butterfly, as well as the cat's ears and cheeks.  This is the first time I have used my Octagonal Nesties - aren't they cool?!  The lacey corners are a Cuttlebug diecut from the Vintage Die set; it's actually a square die but I just tucked them under the octagon - it's like they were made for each other :-)

Here is a little close-up pic of the transparent glitter.  I love how it still lets your shading/colouring be seen and just adds sparkliness.

All the panels are up on mounts (dimensionals).  I added some wide pink lacey ribbon across the bottom panel (can you see it?) and added the darker pink cotton lace over the top.  The hole for threading thru the darker pink lace on the main panel was made with a Stampin' Up horizontal punch and the lace bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.  I did add some Fray Stop to the cut edges of the bow to stop them from fraying.

All the designer papers are digital.  The panel underneath the cat was put thru my Cuttlebug using the Roses embossing folder - I really love the bit of texture it adds.

Lastly, I added the pink gems to the top LHS and bottom RHS of the card.  I decided not to add a sentiment like the sketch - I didn't think it really needed it.

I am also popping this card into the latest Splitcoaststampers Ways to use it Challenge WT275 Raving on Ribbon.  Check out the Gallery for all the cool ways you can use ribbons.

Thanks again for stopping by!  Enjoy the rest of your week!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Lili of the Valley S124 Thomas - big bunch of flowers

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black

Designer papers:  NitWit Collections Fat Quarter Bundle Series "Perfect Pair" ©2010 by Mary Fran of  Nitwit Collections (plaid - non-embossed panel)

Bearly Mine - Floral Dreams 31 (bottom panel)

Bearly Mine - Just Plaid (roses embossed panel)

Accessories:  Prismas, Gamsol, paper stumps, Cuttlebug, Roses embossing folder, Cuttlebug Vintage Dies set, Spellbinder Large Octagon and Scalloped Octagon Nestabilities, paper rose, 1mm/2mm mounts (dimensionals), Fray stop, Kaiser Rhinestones SB701, pale pink lace 36mm - 1-7/16" wide, dark pink lace 10mm - 5/8" wide, Bow Easy, Stampin' Up horizontal punch, pink and lemon Art Institute Glitter - Shabby Chic set (Peewee kit), Art Institute Designer Dries clear adhesive, 15mm mulberry paper rose - Enthaily Wholesale, Carl CP-1 Butterfly-A punch, Cardstock: pink, lemon, white

PSX Bouquet of Roses

Hello and thanks for popping by :-)  Sorry I haven't uploaded this week - my DD has been off school all week sick again :-(  Poor little thing.  The Winter bugs are rife in my DD's classroom and she has missed 2 weeks of school in the past 3 weeks!   The only thing I have really done in my Craft Room this week was sort out some buttons that I bought on EBay and try and do some tidying up so I could find my desk again.  I always seem to end up working in a smaller and smaller space until I can't find anything and get grumpy.

Anyway, I thought I would upload a card I made a few months ago which I made for my SIL's birthday.  It is a VERY old PSX (Personal Stamp Exchange) stamp - one of my first ever stamps - and I still love it as much as I did when I first bought it; it seems so timeless.  The PSX company doesn't exist anymore, although I was told that Inkadinkao bought the designs and have re-released some of them.  The PSX stamps were so beautifully detailed and it's shame the company no longer exists.  Some of the rarer PSX botanicals stamps sell for 100's of dollars on EBay.  Yep, I kid you not!  I am probably sitting on a goldmine!!

Not a whole lot to explain about my card really.  I stamped the image with Vintage Sepia ink, heat-set it (so it wouldn't bleed), then coloured it with Gamsol and Prismacolor pencils.  I lightly chalked around the image with I-Kan-dee pearlescent chalks using the same tonings as the flowers plus pale blue.  The roses have apricot pearlescent chalk on them which gives the centre panel a lovely, subtle but sparkly sheen - alas, not captured by the camera :-( but really pretty IRL :-)   Both the sentiment and main panel have been popped up on 1mm mounts (dimensionals).  The ribbon was made in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.

The 3 tiny hearts on the top RHS are the leftover punchies from my EK Success Arrows border punch.

Thanks again for stopping by to have a peek at my card!

Jocelyn

Stamps:  PSX 'Rose Basket' G2548 (retired), Sentiment: from Elzybells Spring Cubes 20-015-CC clear stamp set 

Ink:  Memento Vintage Sepia 

Accessories:  Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, I-Kan-dee pearlescent chalk, 1mm mounts (dimensionals), Kaiser apricot rhinestones, Bow Easy, Cuttlebug, Swiss dots embossing folder, Spellbinder Nestabilities Labels 1, ribbon, EK Success Arrows border punch, heat gun, cardstock: apricot, pale olive, white

Inky Antics: Happy birdie to you.......

Hello and welcome to my Blog :-)

I have TONS of birthdays coming up over the next few months, so I am trying to get ahead and make a swag of cards.  I made this little cards using Roxie's fabulous Sketch  SC278 from Splitcoaststampers:

This is my 2nd card using this Sketch.  Click on this link to see my first card.  I have a few sketches in a folder which are my "go to" Sketches for when I am lacking any mojo - this Sketch is going in there.  You can use this sketch for lots of layers or minimal layers - that's why I love it.

This cute kitty and birdie is an Inky Antics Cube Stamp, ie: it is a wooden block with four different cat images.  I stamped the image twice and cut out the birdie and just the cat's face from the 2nd image so I could layer it onto the 1st image with 1mm mounts (dimensionals) to give it a bit of a 3-D effect.  The image was coloured with Gamsol and Prismacolor pencils.  I used my Zig Platinum pen to draw around the image to give a bit more depth.

This week, I bought some very fine Art Institute glitter - awesome stuff - it is much, much finer than Kindyglitz glitter glue.  I bought their brand of glue too, and I was really impressed with it.  I bought a set called "Shabby Chic" (really soft colours) from Over the Rainbow (Aussie supplier here in Victoria) - and while I was there, I bought some gorgeous gold heart charms (you know how it is.......LOL).  Anyway, I added pink glitter to the cat's nose, cheeks and ears, and blue glitter to the edge of the bird's wing.  I love how soft it looks.   Glitter is always messy of course so I "sparkled" when I picked my DD up from school!!

There are 1mm mounts (dimensionals) between the yellow scalloped square cardstock and the bottom blue square cardstock.

The Designer paper is digital - from a set by Kay Miller: "My pretty kitty" which I ran thru my Cuttlebug with the Swiss dots embossing folder.   The blue cardstock base was also run thru my Cuttlebug with the small Hearts embossing folder from the Cuttlebug Love Language die/folder set.

The ribbon was made in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.

I'm tired of my embellies slipping down or falling off - just can't seem to find the right glue.   At the supermarket, I found a bottle of Superglue with a little brush for applying it (so much more practical than a tube and far less messy).  So I super-glued the bow and buttons to the card - they ain't movin'!!   Strong stuff - 1 drop is supposed to hold 1 ton so I HAVE to be on a winner, don't I?!   Really stuck on they are - rock solid!!  Don't know why I didn't think of it before......LOL   

The buttons are from my stash and are over 30 years old - they are old shop stock from a Haberdashery business my family used to run.  The buttons centres are sewn with DMC stranded cotton thread (I used the full 6 strands). 

Thanks again for stopping by.  Thanks for all the lovely comments you have been leaving - they are so much appreciated!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Inky Antics: Kitty Cube 0154

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black 

Designer Paper:  'My Pretty Kitty' page kit - digital designer paper Kay Miller Designs kit ©2007 by Kay Miller of www.kaymillerdesigns.com

Accessories:   Gamsol, Prismascolor pencils, paper stumps, Cuttlebug, Love Language embossing folder, Swiss dots embossing folder, Spellbinder Square Nesties & Scallop Square Nesties, buttons, 1mm mounts (dimensionals), gingham ribbon 3/8" - 10mm wide, Bow Easy, DMC stranded cotton, Art Institute "Shabby Chic" PeeWee kit, Art Institute Designer Dries clear adhesive, Zig Brushables Platinum pen, Cardstock: white, blue, yellow oxide