Geometric Patterns

Welcome!  Today's card is my last card as April Guest Designer at Just Us Girls Challenge.  I've had a great time this month and really enjoyed playing along with the four different challenges.  I absolutely loved the inspiration photo this week.  Check it out:

So much to choose from!  I narrowed my choices to the geometric patterns on the walls and the vased and the color of the flowers to come up with my card.  And I filmed my card as I was making it - check out the video below.

I stamped three background stamps onto scraps of white cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black ink and then die-cut them with the pierced square frame die.  After stamping the flower onto X-Press It cardstock, I colored it with Copics and added some light pencil touches at the end.  The sentiment was white-embossed onto black cardstock and die-cut with a slanted sentiment strips die.

Then I spent forever trying to decide whether to have the frames straight, or at an angle.  I had to cut that out of the video because this card took me 58 minutes from start to finish!  If you want to see the process, you can head over to YouTube or watch below.

I'd like to thank the JUGS team for inviting me to join them this month.  Please head on over and check out the fabulous cards made by the DT and have a go yourself!  I can't wait to see the gallery!

I'm linking this card to Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge, as well as Tic Tac Toe (Floral, Free, Thanks) and 4 Crafty Chicks CAS challenge.

Products used:

Stamps:  From All of Us (Clearly Besotted), Geometric Greenery, Houndstooth, Marbled (MFT), Tribal Stripes (Hero Arts)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark, Black Licorice Hybrid (MFT)

Cardstock:  White, Black, X-Press It

Dies:  From All of Us (CB), Pierced Square Frames, Slanted Sentiment Strips (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, Prismacolors

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at 4 Crafty Chicks and Tic Tac Toe

Pink Flowers

HI all and welcome to my blog!  It's Fusion time and here is our challenge for the next week and a bit:

I decided to create a fusion and came up with this card using the Many Thanks set by SSS.

I stamped the flowers with various pink inks plus a black centre then cut them with my Scan n Cut.  The card base is very simple, starting with a white top-folding card then two stitched rectangles that were offset before cutting.  After arranging the panels and the flowers, I added a simple "hello" sentiment - in keeping with the phone in the inspiration pic.  Some sparkling clear confetti and my card is done.

Thanks for visiting!  The DT have some gorgeous inspiration for you, so please head on over and check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Many Thanks (SSS)
Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid (MFT), Pink Diamond, Pinkalicious, Rubellite, Bamboo, Parrot (Altenew)
Cardstock:  White, Black
Dies:  Thanks & Hello (MFT)
Accessories:  Sparkling Clear Confetti (PPP)

Cheers
Karren

Under My Umbrella

Hi!  I'm here with a card for the latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches - hosted by the lovely Amy O'Neill.

As happens frequently, as soon as I saw the sketch I envisaged part of the card - in this case using vellum for the wide horizontal panel.  Once that was in my head, it wasn't budging, so I came up with this card:

This image is from a NBUS set by MFT and I colored up this adorable little girl and the clouds before cutting them out with my Scan n Cut.  I set them aside and took a panel of Bristol Smooth cardstock and some distress inks.  Using my Sunrise Radiating Rays stencil, I sponged on distress inks in an ombre fashion.  Before removing the stencil, I sprayed on some Glitter Dust which gives the rays a lovely shimmer in real life.

The sentiment was stamped in Archival ink onto a piece of thin vellum and both panels were adhered to a white card base.  I attached the vellum by folding it onto the inside and adhering it under the fold.  I added the clouds directly to the vellum and the little girl is popped up on foam tape.  Below is a shot where you can just see the shimmer on the rays.

Thanks so much for visiting.  The DT have made some amazing cards so I hope you have time to check them out!

Products used:

Stamps:  Rain or Shine (MFT)
Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid, Ranger Archival Black Soot, Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Squeezed Lemonade Distress Inks

Cardstock:  White, X-Press It, Bristol Smooth, Vellum Paper

Accessories:  Glitter Dust, Copics, Sunrise Radiating Rays (MFT)

Cheers

Karren

Remember - Video Blog Hop

***UPDATE***I collated all comments from the YouTube video and this blog post and used random.org to pick a winner. The winner is Julie-Anne Hoffman who commented on this video. Thanks to everyone for their likes and comments - much appreciated!


Hi!  I'm thrilled to be joining in with a group of wonderful card-makers from Australia and New Zealand for the ANZAC Day Friendship Remembrance Video Hop.  This is the brain-child of Therese Calvird and I was thrilled when she asked if I'd be interested in joining.  If you're not sure what ANZAC Day is head on over to Wikipedia for an explanation.

Now, I haven't made a video in nearly a year because I was using my son's Mac to edit the videos and he got sick of me always borrowing his Mac, so I stopped making videos 😭😭  But I'm back and I hope you'll like my card - plus there's a prize as well.  Details at the end of the video and this blog post.

So my original thought when I was contemplating what card to make was to stick with the poppy theme and create a friendship card, but then when I was visiting my mum a few weeks ago, she showed me this new CTMH set and it was just perfect for my card, so my mum very kindly lent it to me.

I started by creating the alcohol ink panel onto Yupo paper using various purple inks.  Once I was finished, I set that aside to dry and worked on the card base.  I stamped the two poppy images in Grout Gray ink across the bottom of the card base, triple stamping because I think my ink pad is getting a bit dry!  The sentiment was stamped in Black Soot Archival Ink.  Originally, I had planned to stamp the soldier directly onto the alcohol ink panel, but it just didn't show up enough, so I stamped him onto white and used my Scan n Cut to cut him out.  He is popped up on foam tape (and conveniently covers up the failed stamped image!)

And that's my card!  You can watch the video here, or over on YouTube. 

Now onto the prize.  Leave a comment either on YouTube or in the comments below.  You don't have to subscribe to either, but it would be appreciated 😉 I'll randomly draw one name to win either a brand new copy of the ANZAC Day stamp set by CTMH or Mama Elephant's Playful Pups stamp and die set (which I inadvertently bought twice!).  I'll ship by airmail post to anywhere in the world.

Thanks so much for visiting!  I appreciate your time.  To start at the beginning of the hop, head on over to Alicia's video, or if you want to go to the next blog on the list, which is the amazing Therese herself,  head here.

Here's a full list of video hop participants in order:

Video Hop List
Alicia – Youtube Video here
Ali F – Youtube Video here
Ali H – Youtube Video here
Dianne – Youtube Video here
Eloise – Youtube Video here
Helen – Youtube Video here
Jo – Youtube Video here
Karren – Youtube Video here
Therese – Youtube Video here

Products used:

Stamps:  ANZAC Day (CTMH)
Inks:  Black Soot Archival Ink, Grout Gray (MFT), Alcohol Inks (Purple Twilight, Cool Peri, Amethyst, Wild Plum, Silver Mixative)
Cardstock:  White, Yupo

Cheers
Karren

Cheers Big Ears

Hi!  I'm here with a card for the current challenge at Addicted to CAS.  I've been wanting to play along with their challenges for an age, but I keep running out of time.  So this weekend, I made sure to make some time to play along with their Bubbles challenge.

Bobby's adorable DT card reminded me I had some wood-mounted Penny Black stamps in my stash, so I went hunting to find one in particular and made this card:

This stamp is quite large so I went with a very simple card as the image is so big.  To not distract from the image but also to add a sentiment, I used the Camouflaged Die-Cut technique, backing the "cheers" die-cut with a stack of black die-cuts to make it pop.

Becuase of the sketchy look to the image, I decided to color it with watercolors - definitely not my strong suit!  The image was stamped with London Fog ink for more of a softer outline.  I die-cut the main panel with a stitched die and adhered it to a black card base.  Finally, I added some sparkling clear confetti to mimic bubbles (out of a closed champagne bottle???)  and painted the foil top with a clear sparkle pen.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Lovely Bubbly (Penny Black)

Ink:  Memento London Fog

Cardstock:  Bristol Smooth, Black

Dies:  Cheers, Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT)

Accessories:  Zig markers, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen, PPP Sparkling Clear Confetti

Cheers

Karren

Purple Mother's Day Posy

Hi and welcome!  It's time for another fun challenge from the team at Just Us Girls and this week we have a color challenge:

I decided to make a Mother's Day card with a purple card base - it's not often I have a non-white card base😄

I stamped some flowers in purple shades and added in one pink flower for interest.  I arranged the flowers with the help of some Press n Seal and set the bouquet to one side while I worked on the rest of the card.  Onto a Boysenberry card base I added a white stitched rectangle frame which was popped up on foam tape.  I then added the bouquet and a white-embossed Mother's Day sentiment.  It was at this point I thought the card base looked too bland so I grabbed my new favorite accessory - Distress Resist Spray and, using a piece of scrap paper to protect the frame, flowers and sentiment, I spritzed the spray over the purple.

I was much happier after doing this, although it was rather hair-raising at the time because it could have completely botched an already finished card 😄  Some black Nuvo drops and I called it done!

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you can carve out some time to make a prominently purple card and add it to the gallery!  In the meantime, head on over and check out the gorgeous cards made by the DT.

I'm linking this card up to the current Altenew challenge as well as Work It Wednesday who are looking for cards honoring mums.

Products used:

Stamps:  Painted Flowers (Altenew), KIS:  Mother's Day (PTI)

Ink:  Versamark, Minty Mint, Sweet Leaf, Soft Lilac, Lavender Fields, Deep Iris, Pink Diamond Pinkalicious (Altenew)

Cardstock:  White, Black, Boysenberry (MFT)

Dies:  Pierced Rectangle Stax, Slanted Sentiment Strips (MFT), Painted Flowers (Altenew)

Cheers

Karren

Alcohol Ink Birthday

Hi and welcome!  It's time for another fabulous sketch from the team at Freshly Made Sketches and this week our hostess is Narelle Farrugia.  And here is Narelle's wonderful sketch.

For my card, I went with a masculine birthday card.

I took a leftover piece of alchol-inked Yupo (left over from this card) and die-cut it with a stitched circle die.  I then die-cut a black circle using the same die.  Onto the black circle I spritzed some Distress Resist Spray then sprinked on some Pewter Perfect Pearl powder.  In the photo it just looks splotchy, but in real life, it has texture and shimmer.

I finished the card with a slanted sentiment strip cut in both black and white and a simple "happy birthday" message.

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you'll check out the rest of the design team's cards - they're fabulous as always!

I'm linking this up to Shopping Our Stash who are looking for masculine cards.

Products used:

Stamps:  KIS:  Happy Birthday (PTI)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Alcohol Inks

Cardstock:  White, Black, Yupo

Dies:  Inside/Out Stitched Circles, Slanted Sentiment Strips, Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT)

Accessories:  Distress Resist Spray, Pewter Perfect Pearls, Clear EP

Cheers

Karren