Sending Smiles

Hi!  While I've been spending a lot of time in my craft room these Christmas holidays, most of what I've been doing has been for upcoming DT challenges, but I do like to take some time out to make a card for some current challenges and this one was made for the current MFT Sketch Challenge.  And as I'm using a NBUS set, I'm also entering it into Work It Wednesday and SSS Monday Challenge.

I had this idea in my head to use Tweet On You since I first saw the sketch, but it's taken until now to get it onto paper.  It's not totally how I envisaged, but it's okay.  I stamped, colored and cut the images and then created my little scene using some blue Watercolor Wash patterned paper and some die-cut grass.  The little bird represents the small banner in the sketch.  

Then I went looking for a sentiment that would fit and decided on this one from Up and Away.  The background banner is also from Watercolor Wash - I think that's probably my favorite patterned paper at the moment - love it!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Tweet on You (MFT), Up and Away (Mama Elephant)

Ink:  Intense Black (SSS)

Cardstock:  White, Green Apple (SSS), Watercolor Wash (MFT)

Dies:  Tweet on You, Vertical Stitched Stripes, Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Flag Stax, Grass Border (MFT), Stitched Rectangle Mats (Lil Inkers)

Accessories:  Copics

Cheers

Karren

Favorites of 2016 Part 2

Thanks for dropping by!  I'm here to show you my personal favorite cards for the second half of 2016.  My first half favorites are here.

I think my favorite part of card-making is coloring - and in particular Copic coloring.  I keep practising trying to improve my skills and keep watching videos of the experts.  It's taken me years of birthday and Christmas presents, but last year I completed my Copic Sketch marker collection.  Now to start on the refills :)

So, here are my favorite cards from the second half of the year.  Click on the photo to be taken to the original blog post if you'd like more information.  Once again, thanks for your visits and your comments and here's to a crafty 2017!

Cheers

Karren

Favorites of 2016 Part 1

Hi

I thought I'd have a look back on my 2016 cards and come up with some favorites to post.  2016 was a great card-making and DT year.  From a design team perspective, I'm coming into my 4th year on the Freshly Made Sketches team - love these girls and love this challenge!  I'm also into my 2nd year on the Fusion Team and have taken over the running of this challenge to give Lesley a chance to focus on her upcoming new arrival :)  We have a great bunch of talent on the Fusion team and some great challenges coming up.  I also completed my term on the SugarPea Designs Challenge Team halfway through the year.

Then there were the new teams - Inspired By All The Little Things, Just Add Ink and a brand new challenge The Flower Challenge.  All wonderful challenges and the best teamies!  Consequently, being on 5 DTs means a lot of the cards I post are DT cards, but I do try and squeeze in at least one card a week for a challenge or two as I love challenges!

Anyway, here are my favorites for the first half of the year.  Click on the photo to be taken to the original post if you would like more information.  And thanks to everyone for visiting this little old blog and to those who leave comments - mwah!  You are so appreciated.

Toy Story

Hi and welcome!  I made today's card as part of my NBUS mission!  This set was a must-have a month or so ago, but it has sat unused and I wanted to use it before I took a break from making Christmas cards.  I thought my card would work well for the Baby's First Christmas theme at The Merry Christmas Challenge and I'm also linking to the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp.

Without knowing what I was going to make, I stamped and colored all the images in this adorable set. I then set about my layout and come up with this CAS card.

I stamped the sentiment along the bottom to ground the wagon and left a lot of white space.    The spinning top is popped up on foam tape.  The card base was dry-embossed using two nesting triangles, which is hard to see in the photo.

Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Christmas Toys (SSS)

Ink:  Intense Black (SSS), Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  White

Dies:  Christmas Toys (SSS), Rectangle Infinity Dies (Hero Arts)

Accessories:  Copics, Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen

Cheers

Karren

Dream Your Dreams

Hi and welcome!  Today's card uses both the sketch and colors from MFT's challenges this week as well as the Make It Sparkle theme at Simon Says Stamp.  As soon as I saw the sketch, I saw a shaker card, so that's the direction I went.

I sponged a white panel with colors as close to Peach Bellini as I could find, then spritzed it with gold shimmer spray and set it aside to dry while I went to work on the shaker components.  I cut various confetti from Tropical Teal and Summer Splash cardstock and some Blueprints dies.  I made the shaker frame and added the confetti along with some white and peach sequins.

The cute little bear from Somebunny I Love was stamped, colored and die-cut and I white-embossed the sentiment onto a panel of Soft Stone cardstock to finish the card.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Somebunny I Love (MFT)

Ink:  Versamark, Black Licorice Hybrid (MFT), Rosie Cheeks, Melon (SSS)

Cardstock:  White, Soft Stone (PTI), Tropical Teal, Summer Splash (MFT)

Dies:  Pierced Rectangle Frames, Pierced Circle Stax, Blueprints 11, Blueprints 23, Basic Stitched Lines, Somebunny I Love (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, Peach Sequins, White Sequins, Heidi Swapp Gold Shimmer Spritz, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen

Cheers

Karren

Sunrise over New York

I had a couple of hours in the craft room today, Christmas Eve and my DH's birthday, and one of the cards I made was this card for the current Muse Challenge as well as the challenge at Time Out, where we are inspired by the words:  'With each sunrise we are given a chance for a new beginning'

I was inspired by Jenni's skyline and blue background, although I went with a "hello" card instead of a New Year one.  And for the word challenge, I tried to depict a sunrise over the city skyline by sponging orange, yellow and three blues onto a panel of watercolor paper.  Once that was dry after flicking on some water, I adhered the black skyline die-cut and put both layers through the Big Shot with the Sunshine Layers die by WPlus9.

The "hello" was die-cut from white glitter paper and that finished the card.

Thanks so much for visiting!  And as it is Christmas Day here tomorrow, I'll wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Products used:

Ink:  Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Faded Jeans Distress Inks

Cardstock:  White, Watercolor, Black, White Glitter Paper

Dies:  New York Skyline (MFT), Painted Hello (SSS), Sunshine Layers (WPlus9)

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Muse and Time Out

Cheers!

Welcome!  I finished work yesterday for the holiday break and couldn't wait to get into my craft room last night to stamp!  I got the December Hero Arts Monthly Kit earlier in the week and wanted to have a play, so I came up with this card which meets the requirements at a few challenges:  CAS(E) This Sketch, CASology, and both Simon Says Stamp's Monday (Party Time) and Wednesday (Make it Sparkle) Challenges.

I actually used the kit packaging for the background for this card!  Their kits are mounted on the most gorgeous double-sided backing cardboard and I don't throw them away.  I cut this using a stitched rectangle die and adhered it to a white card base.  The bottle was stamped, colored and die-cut and the "cheers" was die-cut from one of the shimmery navy cardstocks in the kit.  I went over the gold on the bottle as well as the die-cut word with a clear sparkle pen which makes this card really shimmery in real life.  I finished with some rhinestones that came in my parcel to depict bubbles from the bubbly.  I was inspired by Jen's gorgeous bokeh card for the CTS challenge.

Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Hero Arts My Monthly Kit (Dec 2016)
Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid
Cardstock:  White, Kit products and packaging
Dies:  My Monthly Kit, Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle Mats
Accessories:  Copics, rhinestones, Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen

Cheers
Karren