My Favorite Things Rainbow of Happiness encouragement card

Hello everyone and I hope you and your family are all doing well during this very strange time. I'm happy to report that we are fine and adjusting to the new shape of our day. Because we cannot just pop out to a shop at present, I have been very sure not to waste any food so I have been cooking and baking more than I would normally. Now I seldom bake these days so my skills are very rusty, but we had some carrots that needed using up and I decided to make a carrot cake. Everything went well until it came to making the cream cheese frosting. That frosting just wouldn't thicken even after being left for several hours in the fridge, so I had to go for it and pour it over the cake. The icing ran off the cake, down the sides and all over my worktop but my hubby wouldn't let me throw it away. He scraped it all up, put it in a jug, poured it like cream over his slice of cake and declared it to be the best carrot cake ever. I knew there was a reason I love that man!

We are starting a new challenge over at ATSM today and this time we have our Clean and Simple challenge for you.

On my daily walk, I have been so cheered by all the rainbow pictures that children have been putting in their windows, that I decided to use the theme for my card.

I used a rainbow die from My Favorite Things and cut the die using several colours of card so I could make 6 rainbows with the colours in a different order.

The sentiment is from the MFT Rainbow of Happiness stamp set and the clouds (which I glittered) came from a Sara's Signature set by Crafter's Companion.

I made several of these cards and plan to send them out to friends who need cheering up during our lockdown.

You'll find lots of inspiration over on the ATSM blog, and it would be great if you could join us this time.

Hugs
Carol x

MFT Chalkboard Greetings encouragement card

Hello there and welcome to another challenge over at Addicted to Stamps and More. This week we have some photo inspiration for you:-

I loved the encouraging sentiment and the colour behind it so I came up with this card

1) Take a piece of masking paper and die cut an oval from it.

2) Stick the mask to some card and sponge some salty ocean distress ink in the aperture. Sponge some seedless preserve distress ink around the edges, but don't blend too much so that you can see some texture from the sponge.

3) Remove the mask and let the ink dry before stamping the sentiment from My Favorite Things Chalkboard Greetings stamp set with Versamark ink and then emboss it with white embossing powder

4) Die cut a stitched scalloped rectangle from MFT Blueprints 27 in purple card and layer everything up on the base card, raising it with some fun foam.

 5) Finish off by scattering a few die cut hearts around the oval.

You can find plenty of inspiration over on the ATSM blog, and I can't wait to see how you will interpret the photo.


I'd like to play along with

Hand Stamped Sentiments #275 challenge - I was inspired by the bottom right inspiration photo with the oval shape and blue centre.

Creative Craft Cottage Challenge #98 - use a sentiment

Crafting from the Heart Challenge #180 - anything goes

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs
Carol x

Happy Little Stampers and Avery Elle Encouragement card

Hello everyone,

I don't know where the year is going to but I can't believe we're up to April when it seems we only put the decorations away last week! It's time for another challenge over at Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge, where this time our optional twist is Rainbows, and I'm sure we'll be lucky enough to see plenty of those in the coming month after all the April showers. 

our winner this time will receive a $15 discount at the HLS Stamp Store

I came up with this simple little encouragement card destined to wing its way to a friend of mine who has been going through a rough time lately.

1) Take a panel of Mixed Media card and paint rainbow stripes across it using Gansai Tambi Watercolour paint.

2) Stamp the sentiments from HLS Rainy Days and Avery Elle Brushed with black Versafine ink.

3) Stamp the cloud from the HLS Rainy Days stamp twice, and fussy cut them both, snipping off the sun as you go.

4) Mat the panel onto black card and then onto a red stitched rectangle before placing it on the base card.

5) To finish off, stick one cloud flat on the card and raise the second one up on foam tape.

We are fortunate to have the talented Julie as our guest designer this month, and you can see her lovely card, along with lots of inspiration from the team, over on the Happy Little Stampers Blog.

I hope you will join us this time.

I'd like to play along with

Time Out Challenge #80- 'When it rains look for rainbows

Craftin' Kimmie challenge - keep your head in the clouds

Aud Sentiments challenge - any sentiment except for birthdays

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs

Carol x 

Avery Elle You are Amazing card

Hello everyone and welcome to another challenge over at Addicted to Stamps and More. We have a gorgeous inspiration photo for you this time

and just look at the beautiful blue hues and pretty butterfly to get the creative juices flowing.

I have a small border embossing folder in my stash that came free with a magazine, so I decided to pull it out and have a play, using an inking technique I have seen used but never had the courage to try.

 1) Take a butterfly embossing folder and ink up the inside with a brayer using pale blue ink. I had to try it out a couple of times before getting the ink in the background where I wanted it.

2) Repeat this and fussy cut the butterflies and the largest flower.

3) Make mats and layer them up onto a DL sized card, spattering a little blue ink onto the white panel.

4) Die cut a small banner and white emboss the "you are", from Avery Elle Simply Said Amazing set. Place this on white card and fussy cut around it to create a mat.

5) Use the die from the accompanying set to cut "Amazing" in blue and white card and layer them up to create a shadow effect.

6) Layer everything up and shape the butterflies and flower before adding them to the card to give dimension. Finish off with a few tiny pearls on the flowers.

I was pleased with how this turned out, and will certainly try inking up embossing folders again. It made me so happy when the background came out coloured and the butterflies and flowers stayed white - it reminded me of the first time I saw heat embossing! Okay - I know I should get out more lol! I decided not to put a greeting inside yet, so I can use it for a birthday, passing an exam, or just as an encouragement note. 

You'll find lots of inspiration over on the ASTM blog and you have a week to play along with us. 

I'd like to play along with

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge - spring into spring

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - things with wings

International Art and Souls - embossing

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Carol x

Clearly Besotted Lift the flap butterfly card

Hello everyone. I am delighted to be Guest Designing for the wonderful Words 2 Craft By challenge  today and the words for the challenge this time are

       Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over... she began to fly.                         

I decided to make a lift the flap card and cut the lift up panel on my Silhouette Cameo. Then I cut a label shape and stamped the cute caterpillar from the Clearly Besotted Cute as a Bug stamp set on it. Next, I used a Silhouette sketch pen to write the quote above the caterpillar and matted the label onto some pink card. I fixed the label to the front of the flap and then moved on to the under layer.

I cut another pink mat and wrote on the words before cutting a butterfly from my NBUS  MFT Flutter of Butterflies dies, colouring it and coating it with Wink of Stella Glitter Pen.

The panel was fixed to the base card on fun foam to give some dimension, and as the white on white looked a bit stark, I took a Copic pen and added polka dots around the edge to give a frame effect.

I'd like to thank Sybrina for inviting me to join in this time - I really enjoyed playing around with this card and it was an honour to join you. Why not pop over to the Words 2 Craft By blog to see lots of inspiration from the talented Design Team.

I'd like to take my card to play at

Cards in Envy - beautiful butterflies

Case this sketch-


and

Darnell's NBUS challenge



Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs
Carol x