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

Lili of the Valley Christmas Bear

Hi and welcome to my Blog :-)

I finished off another Christmas card today which uses the same layout I have used for my last couple of cards - nice and easy for this time of year to have a "go to" layout when my brain is overloaded with a thousand things and I can't really think anymore!

The gorgeous teddy image is by Lili of the Valley (UK).  I don't have the name to hand, but will update this post when I find out (plus the LOTV company is closed for Christmas so you can't see any of their stamps/stamp names on their website) *see below.  When I bought the stamp, it came as unmounted rubber so there is no name on it like you get with wood-mounted stamps.  I coloured the teddy with Prismacolor and Derwent Coloursoft pencils and OMS.  I added some Polar White Flowersoft using Aleen's tacky glue to the teddy's hat, and fine red glitter using Designer Dries Clear adhesive glue to the presents. 

Here is a little closeup.   Poor teddy looks a little anaemic in the top photo but looks better in the closeup - I have no idea why!!  

The green cardstock was embossed using my Cuttlebug Holly Berries embossing folder.

The sentiment was diecut with my Cuttlebug and one of the Tiny Tags dies, and I ran my Warm Red ink pad around the edges.  I added the twine in 2 separate elements - I didn't need my Bow Easy to tie the bow as the twine ties very easily into a nice bow.  

Whew - another Christmas card off my list!

Great news!!  Fat Cat's Card Corner will be stocking the BOW EASY very soon - if you have never used one before and are bow-challenged like me, it is a fantastic product.  I use mine all the time, and you can even tie bows with double or triple loops.  Kaaren has a heading for the Bow Easy on the LHS menu on the front page of the website, so keep an eye out for when it comes into stock.

Challenges:

I am entering this card into the Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge #63 and this week's challenge is:  "Your Choice" - and you get to pick one of your favourite past Challenges on their Blog - so I choose Challenge #60 which is "Christmas" (you know how I like making Christmas cards LOL!!).

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be back tomorrow with another Christmas card.

Jocelyn

*ETA:  The name of the Teddy stamp is:  Xmas Ted Presents S091

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Lili of the Valley - Xmas Ted Presents S091, Sentiment from Elzybells Mini Messages Christmas clear set 20-054 (retired)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black, Colorbox Chalk Warm red

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Tiny Tags die set, Cuttlebug Holly Berries embossing folder, Spellbinder Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities, twine, fine red glitter, Designer dries clear adhesive, Flowersoft Polar White, Aleen's tacky glue, Prismacolor + Derwent Coloursoft pencils, OMS, paper stumps, Cardstock: green, red, KW Doggett "Knight" white

Stampendous Candy Bears Christmas cards #2 and #3 for Flowersoft challenge

Hello and welcome to my Blog!

Yesterday, I shared one of the cards (see this link here) that I made for the Splitcoaststampers Flowersoft Challenge FSC15 of "Last Minute Cards" which ends on December 17th.  And here are my remaining 2 cards that I made for the Challenge.

All my cards use the same layout, embossing folder and colours - I just changed a couple of things so they all look a bit different - and they were surprisingly quick as there wasn't much colouring of the images (they were all coloured with Prismacolor and Derwent Coloursoft pencils and Odourless Mineral Spirits).  And I used some of my favourite Stampendous Christmas images - they are just sooo cute!!  I know it doesn't snow here at Christmas, but I am nuts about anything that has a snowman or snow on it!  And I adore teddy bears too!

For both of my Candy Cane bear cards, I added white liquid applique to the bear's hat band and pom-pom.  I let the liquid applique dry then heated it with my heat-gun to make it "puff up" and then painted over it with white acrylic paint as the white liquid applique tends to look rather creamy - almost lemony - rather than "pure white".  I also ran a line of white acrylic paint along the length of the candy cane for the highlight.

I lightly chalked in the sky around the image with Kaisercolour blue chalk (very subtle but trust me - it is there!). 

On the Red Candy Cane Bear card - the green embossed panel is an embossing folder by Crafts Too called 'Holly Frame'.  I cut out the inside of the frame, then added a piece of red cardstock underneath and cut enough of the red cardstock away to leave a small red border, then attached my image panel underneath.  You can find this gorgeous embossing folder here at Fat Cat's Card Corner.

The sentiment tag was diecut with my Cuttlebug and Tiny Tags die set and I ran my Warm Red chalk ink pad around the tag.  I added the gorgeous red and white twine in 2 separate elements (looks neater for me as I am so "ribbon-challenged"!).  Twine is so "in" at the moment - I just love it for my cards!!  The star is a sparkly red button from my stash which I glued on with Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue which is fantastic for glueing on embellies - I no longer have trouble with them falling off!  Yay me!

Lastly, I added Flowersoft Polar White using Aleen's Tacky glue along the bottom of the image.  Here is a little close-up photo:

And here is my 2nd Candy Cane bear card which is essentially the same as the card above but I swapped the red and green colours around.  It is sooooo hard to take photographs of red cards so the image is brighter IRL and my close-up photo (scroll down to see it) is more true-to-life colour-wise.

I ran my Lime Pastel chalk ink around the sentiment tag and the sparkly green star is a brad.  And I attached the ribbon in 2 separate elements plus the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.

And here is a close-up pic:

Phew - that was a long post!  As always:  if you have any questions, please feel free to email me - my addy is at the top LHS of my Blog.  I used to be new at cardmaking too, so I am always happy to explain something that you don't understand.   Thanks again for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe - Red Candy Cane bear

Stamps:  Stampendous: Candy Bears E208, Sentiment: Elzybells Mini Messages - Christmas set 20-054 

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black, Colorbox Chalk - Warm red

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Tiny Tags die set, Christmas Holly Frame embossing folder - Crafts Too, Prismacolor pencils, OMS, Derwent Coloursoft Pencils, Flowersoft Polar White, twine, white liquid applique, heatgun, white acrylic paint, fine paint brush, Kaisercolour blue chalk, Star button from Stash, Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue, Cardstock: green, red, KW Doggett "Knight" white

Card Recipe - Green Candy Cane bear

Stamps:  Stampendous: Candy Bears E208, Sentiment: Elzybells Mini Messages - Christmas set 20-054 

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black, Colorbox Chalk Lime Pastel

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Tiny Tags die set, Christmas Holly Frame embossing folder - Crafts Too, Prismacolor pencils, OMS, Derwent Coloursoft Pencils, Flowersoft Polar White, Bow Easy, sparkly green ribbon, white liquid applique, heatgun, white acrylic paint, fine paint brush, Kaisercolour blue chalk, Star brad by Making Memories, Cardstock: green, red, KW Doggett "Knight" white

Stampendouse Freeze - Christmas card #1 for Flowersoft Challenge

Hi and welcome to my Blog :-)

I have a couple of cards to share with you which I made for the Splitcoaststampers Flowersoft Challenge FSC15 of "Last Minute Cards" which ends on December 17th.  All my cards use the same layout, embossing folder and colours - I just changed a couple of things so they all look a bit different - and they were surprisingly quick as there wasn't much colouring of the images (they were all coloured with Prismacolor and Derwent Coloursoft pencils and Odourless Mineral Spirits).  And I used some of my favourite Stampendous Christmas images - they are just sooo cute!!  I know it doesn't snow here at Christmas, but I am nuts about anything that has a snowman on it!

For my Teddy and Snowman card, I added white liquid applique to the snowman's: mitten cuffs, hat band and pom-pom, and on the bear's: hat band, mitten cuff and collar on the jacket.  I let the liquid applique dry then heated it with my heat-gun to make it "puff up" and then painted over it with white acrylic paint as the white liquid applique tends to look rather creamy - almost lemony - rather than "pure white".

I lightly chalked in the sky around the image with Kaisercolour blue chalk (very subtle but trust me - it is there!).  The green embossed panel is an embossing folder by Crafts Too called 'Holly Frame'.  There is actually an embossed frame on the top half of the embossing folder, but I simply covered it with my image.  You can find this gorgeous embossing folder here at Fat Cat's Card Corner.

The sentiment tag was diecut with my Cuttlebug and Tiny Tags die set and I ran my Warm Red chalk ink pad around the tag.  The red/white ribbon came from Coles Supermarket and is by Artwrap - and the red cord was in a throw-out box at Spotlight - 5 metres for $1 so I couldn't pass that up :-)

Lastly, I added Flowersoft Polar White using Aleen's Tacky glue along the bottom of the image and did two layers of it so it looked all snowy and fluffy.  Here is a little close-up photo:

I will share my other 2 cards I made for this Challenge in the next day or so.  Thanks for stopping by - hope to see you again soon!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stampendous Freeze D145, Sentiment: Elzybells Mini Messages - Christmas set 20-054 (retired) 

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black, Colorbox Chalk - Warm red

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Tiny Tags die set, Christmas Holly Frame embossing folder - Crafts Too, Prismacolor pencils, OMS, Derwent Coloursoft pencils, paper stumps, Flowersoft Polar White, Aleen's tacky glue, Coles ribbon, red cord, white liquid applique, heatgun, white acrylic paint, fine paintbrush, Kaisercolour blue chalk, snowflake button by "Dress it up" Snowflake collection - Snow Globe, Cardstock: green, red, KW Doggett "Knight" white 

Penny Black Frosty the Snowman in his Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland

 

Hi and welcome to my Blog :-)

I made another CAS Christmas card for my stash.  Now I know it doesn't snow where I live at Christmas-time - but I just LOVE snowmen and snowflakes.  There's just something special about them that really floats my boat.  And I collect things that have snowmen or snowflakes on them - stamps, paper, ornaments - oh, I could just let my head go if my wallet would allow it!  And I just LOVE this Penny Black stamp - the snowman looks so joyous and I smile everytime I look at him.

I did actually colour him a little with a light blue and grey Derwent Coloursoft pencil plus OMS, but it doesn't show up all that much in the photo - but hope you can see it a little.  I added some orange pencil to his nose.  I added some Polar White FlowerSoft with Aleen's tacky glue along the bottom then used the end of a blunt sewing needle to add little dots of the glue to the snowflakes surrounding him, then added FlowerSoft.  I find it easier to use a sewing needle to make small dots than using the glue straight from the bottle and getting big, messy blobs.

Here is a little close-up of the FlowerSoft:

The embossing folder is one of the folders from the Cuttlebug Winter Wonderland set.   The blue snowflakes are the leftover punchies from using my Martha Stewart Snow Flurry edge punch.  I love how you get several different sized snowflakes from using it - so handy for embellishing a card.  I added blue rhinestones to the centres and popped all these snowflakes up on 2mm mounts (dimensionals).

The ribbon was attached in 2 separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy.  I diecut a white snowflake using my Snowflake #2 die and added a blue rhinestone to the centre, then added some Frosted Lace Stickles.  Here is a close-up:

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be back tomorrow with some Vintage-style gift bags.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Frosty PB-3248H, Sentiment (retired) from Elzybells

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, embossing folder from Winter Wonderland set, Cuttlebug Snowflake #2 die, FlowerSoft Polar White, Aleen's tacky glue, Derwent Coloursoft pencils, OMS, paper stumps, Frosted Lace stickles, Kaiser blue rhinestones, gingham ribbon, Bow Easy, 2mm mounts, Cardstock: white

Punches:  Martha Stewart Snow Flurry edge, Stampin' Up corner

Elzybells: A little Winter magic!

Hello and thanks for dropping in!  Here is a quick little one-layer Christmas card using my favourite Cuttlebug folder from the Winter Wonderland set.  I really love the embossing on this particular folder - it's just so pretty.  It is available at Fat Cat's Card Corner here.  I actually started this card in August - but only just got around to colouring the image - it's just been sitting on my desk buried amongst all the other stuff (you know how it is LOL!!!).

I coloured the image with Prismacolor pencils and OMS, plus I used a Lyra Skin tone pencil for the face which I recently bought from my local Art Store.  Lyra pencils blend beautifully with OMS.  I added some Liquid Applique to the coat and ear muffs and let that dry overnight before I applied my heat-gun to make it "pop".  I did actually paint over the Liquid Applique (once it had cooled) with white acrylic paint because the Liquid Applique comes out an off-white colour which looked kind-of "dirty" against the white cardstock, then added Kindyglitz on top to make it sparkle.  I lightly chalked around the image with blue chalk.

The snowflake on the ribbon was diecut using the Cuttlebug Snowflake #2 die set, and the snowflakes dotted around the embossing were punched from my Martha Stewart Snow Flurry edge punch (they are the leftover punchies when you punch a border with it), and these snowflakes are up on mounts.   I added tiny red rhinestones to the centres.   Here is a little closeup:

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

Both the image and sentiment are by Elzybells Art Stamps UK who are closing on the 30th September.  These particular images have sold out, but there are still alot of other stamps - including Christmas ones - that are still available but you'd better be quick!!  I still can't believe they are closing - it is such a shame :-(

Challenges:

I am entering this card into the Crazy 4 Challenges C4C56 of "Bling".

And the Allsorts Week 71 Challenge of Plain and Simple.

Plus I am also popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers Free for All Challenge F4A21 of Snowflakes and Pearls from July - which was what I was originally started making the card for.

Anyway, that's about it for me.  Thanks for visiting - I'll be back in a few days with a Vintage Christmas card!  

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Elzybells Ice Skater 10-080, Sentiment from Elzybells 20-053 Mini Messages - Winter

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Snowflakes ef from Winter Wonderland set, Cuttlebug Snowflakes #2 die set, OMS, Prismacolor Pencils, paper stumps, Lyra Skintone pencil, white liquid applique, white acrylic paint, Kindyglitz Crystalina, Bow Easy, gingham ribbon, 1mm mounts, Kaiser rhinestones SB711 red (largest rhinestone on ribbon), Basic Grey Bling-it red rhinestones (tiny red ones on snowflakes), Kaisercolour chalks, heatgun, Cardstock: white

Punches:  Stampin' Up corner, Martha Stewart Snow Flurry edge

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

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

Elzybells Challenge #41 - Single Layer Card

 

ETA:  I just learned that this card won the Elzybells Challenge - woo hoo.  Thanks Elizabeth - I'm over the moon!!

Hello and welcome to my little world!

Over at the Elzybells Blog, Elizabeth is running her fortnightly challenge and this time the Challenge (#41) is:  a single layer card - you can embellish as much as you like, but no layers.  I whipped up this simple card this morning and it was super-quick to make.  I think it could be used for any sort of occasion: birthday, friendship, thank-you, or even Mother's Day.  Did you know that Elzybells now has a forum which is where we post our Challenge cards? 

First I measured the width of my embossing folder and put a pencil mark on my cardstock so I could make the scoring lines with my Martha Stewart Scoring Board before I did the dry embossing.  That way I could line up the embossing folder so it would be straight.  I did actually try it the other way round first, but I ended up with crooked lines so I used the card as a frisbee instead!   Trust me - the 2nd way is so much easier, and you can always re-score the lines if they get slightly mushed in the Cuttlebug folder.

The embossing folder is from a Cuttlebug set called: "Just my Type".   I really like these narrow folders - they are really useful.   I lightly chalked the embossing with purple, lemon and green chalks to match the colours in the image.

The image was coloured with Gamsol and Prismacolor pencils, then I lightly coloured around the inside of the box with blue chalk.  I was in a glittery-mood, so I added some very fine glitter to the tulips as well as on the yellow dots on the vase.  I used my Zig Platinum Pigment Pen to draw a faint grey line around the image to try and give it a little depth.

Lastly, I added the pearls although they look more pink in the photo than in IRL - trust me: they really are purple!  It would be fun to make a little set of these cards using the Spring Cubes set as a gift for someone maybe for Mother's Day or a Birthday.  I'll add this little idea to my list of things to do!  Sorry it's not a fantastic photo - the weather was so cloudy and dull here today which made photography rather difficult.

I am also popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple Challenge of CAS56 - "It's Hip to be Square".   The great thing about Splitcoaster Challenges is that you can play anytime - there is no time limit - so over the course of time, you get to see a gallery full of lots of different ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!  Thanks to all my blogging friends who have been leaving such lovely and encouraging comments - they have brought me so much joy!  See you again very soon!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Elzybells Spring Cubes 20-015-CC clear set

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:  Gamsol, Prismacolor pencils, paper stumps, Kaisercolour chalks, .008 fine yellow glitter, Kaiser Pearls SB785 Lavender, Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Cuttlebug, 'Just my type' embossing folder set, Zig Platinum pigment pen, Cardstock:  white

Penny Black: I'm so cute - another thank you card.......

Hello and thanks for stopping by :-)

I made another quick and simple 'Thank you' card to give to a friend who is very much a dog-lover and is, in fact, a Dog Chiropractor by trade.  I love to make square cards and though it would suit this cute dog image so I'm popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple Challenge CAS56 - 'It's hip to be square!".  See this link for the deets on the Challenge.

This dog stamp was one of the very first Penny Black stamps I bought many years ago and it doesn't seem to date and I still love it as much as I did when I first bought it.

The image was coloured with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol, and then I lightly chalked around the image with my Kaisercolour chalks and added pink I-Kan-dee pearlescent chalk here and there so the card shimmers a little (not sure if you can see by my photo).   The 2 tiny pink hearts next to the sentiment are the leftover punchies from my EK Success Arrows Border punch (they look like tiny hearts)  and  I added some Kindyglitz to the hearts as well as the rose.

There is a Scor-Pal line underneath the ribbon and above the brown/pink cardstock border (hard to see the brown one on the photo).  To do the bottom border, I punched brown cardstock with my Martha Stewart Checkerboard edge punch then I simply glued some pink cardstock underneath so I ended up with the pink and brown checkerboard pattern which I thought would look pretty and match the pink and brown ribbon.

Edited to Add:

When I did the sentiment on the inside of the card, I dropped the stamp - which made a big mess!  DOH!!!  So I ended up cutting the front panel off the card and attaching it to a new card and turned it into an easel card to "save" it - so it's not technically really a CAS card anymore even if the front part still is.

Here's a little pic of the finished "Easel Card".  Aren't the paw pad brads cute?!  They were perfect for holding up the front of the card.

Thanks again for visiting - hope you enjoyed your stay!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black 'I'm so Cute!!' 1706H, Sentiment #1from Elzybells 'Spring Cubes' 20-015-CC clear stamp set, Sentiment #2 "freebie" from Verve stamps

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black

Accessories:  Gamsol, Prismacolor pencils, paper stumps, Martha Stewart Checkerboard edge punch, EK Success Arrows border punch, Scor-Pal, ribbon 3/8" - 10mm wide, Kaisercolour chalks, I-Kan-dee Pearlescent chalks, Kindyglitz Crystalina, Paw pad brads: Buttons Galore & more, Cardstock:  brown, pink, white

Elzybells: George - and his dragon

Hello and welcome to my little Blog :-)

My DD received a party invitation a few days ago to a boy's 7th birthday party which was held on Saturday afternoon.  Eek - not much notice and not much time to make a card because I had lots of running around to do during the week but I managed to squeeze the card in somehow.  It was rather fortunate that I had a Leggo set put away in the cupboard which I had bought on sale - what better image to match the Leggo set (see below) than my Elzybells Knight and Dragon stamp which I still had on my desk from the card  I uploaded here to my Blog a week or so ago.

Plus on the "Something Completely Different" Challenge Blog, the theme for Week 47 is "D".  My "D's" are the dragon, the distressing, the diamond & dots embossing folder, the designer paper has diamonds on it, and I pierced the dots around the image and sentiment, I used distressing stamps around the various layers (most visible around the edge of the image though where you can see "cracks" etc), the sentiment is on dimensionals, and the rust-coloured cardstock is Deep Desert Dune.  It was fun to try and get as many "D" items on the card as I could.

I'm also popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers "Ways to use it Challenge" WT167 of Masculine.

The Cuttlebugging was done with my Quickutz Diamond and Dots embossing folder, then I lightly sanded the embossing.  The image was coloured with Gamsol and Prismacolor pencils then I lightly chalked around the image with my Kaisercolour chalks.  I used my Kaszazz distressing rubber stamps with my Hero Arts 'Soft Sand' Shadow ink around the edges of the image, the sentiment and the designer paper, then grabbed my seasponge and smooched the same ink around the edges of each layer on the card.

The sentiment was stamped with Burnt Sienna ink and was popped up on 2mm mounts (dimensionals).  The ribbon was made in 2 separate elements 'cos I like neat ribbons on my cards!

I recently purchased a Bazzill In 'Stitch'z Mat from Scrapbook Boutique which I used underneath my piercer - it is really thick and works 100 times better than my old mouse mat and I ended up with a much neater row of dots.   I just checked and the mat is sold out at the moment, but you can click on the little envelope which is just above the "Add 1 to basket" so you can receive an EMail when new stock arrives.  I have bought a ton of things from Scrapbook Boutique and they always give super-service and are very reliable; I have no connection with the store - just a very happy customer :-)

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be back tomorrow with another card.

Jocelyn 

Stamps:  Elzybells - 'George' 16-031, Kaszazz - Crackle and Cross-hatch stamp (comes in a set of 4 unmounted), Kaszazz Birthday Postage Mark

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black, Hero Arts 'Soft Sand' Shadow, Colorbox Burnt Sienna Chalk

Designer paper:  K & Co. Brookfield Vintage Diamonds

Accessories:  Gamsol, Prismacolor pencils, paper stumps, Kaisercolour chalks, Cuttlebug, Quickutz Diamond & Dots embossing folder, 2mm mounts (dimensionals), Spellbinder Circle Nestabilities, 15mm - 5/8" wide double-sided satin ribbon (Spotlight), glue dots (to attach ribbon), 3 decorator brass round brads - American Traditional Designs CA-0013, sandpaper, paper piercer, Bazzill In 'Stitch'z piercing mat, seasponge, Martha Stewart Arch Lattice edge punch, Cardstock: white, khaki green, Colormates deep desert dune

Penny Black: Just next to you - Happy 21st Wedding Anniversary!

Hello and thanks for visiting my Blog!

It's DH's and my 21st Wedding Anniversary today!  Yep, 21 years!!  We married in 1989!  It doesn't really seem that long ago and it's amazing how the time has flown and how the world has changed since then.  We are having a little celebratory dinner at home with our 6 yo DD.  She is very excited about it and can't wait to celebrate her own wedding anniversary seeing as a little boy in her class wants to marry her - yep, he's proposed (several times actually)!   It just cracks me up when I see how excited he is to see her when we arrive at school and wants to hold her hand straight away.  Sheesh - he's only 6 but he's sooooo smitten.  Anyway, I am digressing.....

I made this card (obviously) for DH and coloured the image a few weeks ago, but was stumped at what to do with it.  It sat on my desk until I saw the Challenge over the ABC Challenge Blog of  "R is for Red".  "Perfect" I thought and when the Postie brought me my long-desired Cuttlebug Love Language embossing folder and die set (courtesy of EBay), I put them together and this is what I came up with.   Simple and unfussy.  Sorry it's not a great photo - my camera doesn't photograph reds very well and adjusting the image with my photo imaging software doesn't help much - there doesn't seem to be anything between underexposing and overexposing the photo.  The dogs are actually darker IRL but look a bit washed out in the photo.   I'll have to try and get some advice on how to photograph red cards from somewhere.

I'm also popping this card into the Allsorts Challenge #46 which is no DP's!  I love making cards with no dp's - clean and simple with just a bit of embossing for texture.  Right up my alley.

I coloured the image with Gamsol and Prismacolor pencils and lightly chalked around the image with my Kaisercolour chalks, then ran my Warm Red ink pad around the edges of the oval.  I added to some glue to the hearts on the image, add poured on some very fine red glitter.   I punched a heart from red cardstock, and glittered this as well.  I stamped the sentiment with Stazon jet black ink as it seems to give better coverage on clear stamps than the Memento ink.   I did the ribbon in 2 separate elements so the writing wouldn't be upside down and so I could get the writing even on both sides of the knot.

Thanks for stopping by to have a peek at my card.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black 'Just next to you!' 1921F, Sentiment from Elzybells 'Spring Cubes' 20-015-CC clear stamp set

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stazon Jet Black, Colorbox Chalk Warm Red

Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Cuttlebug Love Language ef, Spellbinder Oval Nestabilities, .008 fine red glitter, corner punch, Carl CP-2 Heart punch, Gamsol, Prismacolor pencils, paper stumps, Kaisercolour chalks, Ribbon 1/2" - 13mm wide, Cardstock: white, red

Elzybells: George - In days of old, when Knights were bold.......

Hello everyone!  Hope you had a lovely Easter.  

I made this card for my soon-to-be 5 year old nephew and used one of my favourite sketches for the layout from the Christmas Stampin' All Year Long blog.  This sketch is by Maria Bell and is from way back in October 2009 - see this link for the details and here is a copy of the Sketch.  I'm a huge fan of Maria Bell - she is so incredibly talented and I really love her Sketches. 

 

I have a folder will all my favourite card layouts/sketches which are great for looking through when I'm a bit low on my mojo.

Isn't this Elzybells image just so perfect for boy's cards?  Although my DD said she wants it on her birthday card except that the dragon will HAVE to be pink (of course - what else?!).  The image was coloured with Gamsol and Prismacolor pencils and I lightly chalked around the image with my Kaisercolour chalks.  The sentiment is also from Elzybells and because I bought it unmounted, it meant I could separate (ie: cut) the words so it would fit inside the oval panel (note: I can no longer find it on their website but Elzy has plenty of other birthday sentiments that would work just as well).  I added an 'old gold' brad either side of the sentiment.

I had a go at putting some Tim Holtz 'Antique Linen' Distress Ink around the edges of each panel using my new Ranger Ink Blender tool which the Postie delivered last Thursday.   I am not very confident with distressing and aging cards but I am trying to learn (even if I think my distressed cards look like something from my compost bin!).  I "re-discovered" an unmounted Kaszazz stamp in my stash that puts crackle lines on  your cardstock, so pulled out my Hero Arts Shadow ink and proceeded to splot the crackle lines around the main image panel, the sentiment panel and the designer paper.  

The dry embossing is the Cuttlebug Moroccan screen embossing folder which I lightly sanded before adding the Distress ink around the edges.  Both the image and sentiment panels were popped up on mounts (dimensionals).   The brads underneath the ribbon have been kicking around my craft room for over a year but seemed to be just perfect for the card.

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

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Elzybells - 'George' 16-031 & Happy Birthday sentiment, Kaszazz - Crackle stamp (comes in a set of 4 unmounted)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo black, Tim Holtz 'Antique Linen' Distress Ink, Hero Arts 'Soft Sand' Shadow ink

Designer paper:  Fancy Pants - Papa "Courageous"

Accessories:  Gamsol, Prismacolor pencils, paper stumps, Kaisercolour chalks, Cuttlebug, Moroccan Screen embossing folder, 1 and 2mm mounts (dimensionals), Spellbinder Oval Nestabilities, Ranger Ink Blender tool, 10mm - 3/8" wide pale olive grosgrain ribbon, glue dot, 2 small 'old gold' brads, 3 decorator brass round brads - American Traditional Designs CA-0013, Cardstock: pale olive, rust, white, Colormates deep outdoorsy olive (pretty cool name for a cardstock colour eh?!)

Elzybells: Teddy Surprise!

I made this for my DD's schoolfriend for her 7th birthday.  I've been wanting to make a Gatefold card for ages - ah, so many techniques & so little time!!

All the images are from a clear stamp set by Elzybells, and were coloured with Gamsol and Prismascolor pencils.  Isn't the teddy just sooo cute?!  The blue that I coloured in the background REALLY shows up in the photos but it's not THAT blue in real life.  The ribbon was attached at the back of the card with glue dots.

The dry embossing on the front of the card was done by running a Sizzix Textured Impressions folder thru my Cuttlebug.  I use the same 'sandwich' that you use for Cuttlebug folders.

I really went to town with all the glitter which has been added to the present ribbon, spots on the present, and on the inside of the card: on the balloon, ribbon, spots on the present and the teddy's cheeks.  After all, it's for a girl and all little (& big) girls LOVE glitter!! :o)

Here is a close-up of the card inside:  

Don't forget you can click on any of my photos to get a REALLY close-up view.

Thanks for having peek at my card!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe: 

Stamps: Elzybells Art Stamps: Teddy Surprise 20-016-CC clear stamp set 

Ink: Memento Tuxedo black 

Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, paper stumps, ribbon, Kaiser Hot Pink pearls, Sizzix Textured Impressions - dots & flower set, Cuttlebug, glue dots, Stampin' Up ticket corner punch, glue dots, Kindyglitz Crystalina, Cardstock: white, bright pink