ICAD 2018...A little update..

Hey,

Happy Friday!

If you are following me on Instagram, then you know for the second year I am playing along with ICAD (Index Card A Day).

Thanks to Tammy at Daisy Yellow for organising, you can learn more here and play along too.. it's never too late.

My friend Lauren introducing me and her cards are always so stunning and creative, as is all of her work (she's one of my multiple craft crushes, stalk them enough and they become friends LOL)

I loved it SO much last year and I finally got around to making the cards into an album and sending to my Aunt. She loved it BTW.

I learnt a few lessons last year that I have applied to this year's cards - I have not backed them onto each other, so each of the 61 days will be individual cards. I have tried to keep the bulkiness to a minimum..no mean feat.

I also bought a cute 4x6 album to store them in, more about that in a different post.

Today I wanted to show you a few of the cards I have made so far as we are now on Day 50!

They are all so different and as I am predominantly a cardmaker, I think you can see this is my cards.

Day 5 - Prompt - Queue / Line - Using fun stamps to create a line and adding other elements to tie it all togeher

Day 14 - Prompt - Flamingo - love a Flamingo stamp, I added tons of layers with scraps here, and dedicated it to the Queen of layers Lauren!

Day 21 - Prompt - Treasure - I felt that a sea of scrap papers, with a mermaid, sequins, glittery stars and sparkly dots was the perfect way to show 'Treasure'

Day 23 - Prompt - Castle - I grew up near Elephant & Castle..Get it? I loved layering random elements to create this card, especially happy with the use of fabric on my card!

Day 34 - Prompt - Picnic - I mean for July 4th, it had to be Americana? I aged the photo that I found in a book, added the date too. I also coloured a brown doily blue, using a marker.

Day 36 - Prompt - Pretzel - Literally I love Pretzels more than any other snack, I have a Pretzel charm on my bracelet, that Hubby gave me for my 40th..but only one prezel stamp..hmmm.

The main photo is of Day 46 - I love this one the most I think, partly because I was so thrown by 'tie-dye' as a prompt, then I got a new stencil by Andy Skinner (you get the positive and the negative) and it gave me an idea and I love how it came out.

I love that ICAD gives me a focus for nightly playtime at my desk and I don't have to buy things to play along, I can really dig deep in my stash and that's awesome.

Tomorrow is Hubby's birthday and we are starting tonight with drinks and tomorrow I am taking him to lunch and on a mystery outing..

Cx

The Paper Players: Colour Challenge..

Hey,

One of the reasons I like challenges so much, is that they give me the opportunity to use my stash in ways I wouldn't have considered without a little prompt / inspiration.

The Paper Players challenge is one of my faves and this week does not disappoint -

I had an idea how to use the colours, forming in my mind.. and so that it would work with minimal effort, I tried something I have not done before.

I stamped the MFT + Pure Innocence Girl (now retired) onto two white panels. I coloured one using promarkers and spectrum noir sparkle pens. I applied Cracked Pistachio distress ink through my fave ancient (and most overused item in my craft room) The Crafters Workshop stencil.

I die-cut the coloured girl and popped her up using foam tape, covering over the girl that I had stenciled over. GENIUS..It meant that there was no masking needed and the dots are coming from behind the girl perfectly.

I know that I could have just stenciled the background, but I wanted the girl in a specific place, so that I could fit the sentiment on and not cut off too many of the stenciled dots, when I was die-cutting the panel to size.

I'll be doing this again!

I used a sentiment from the set, as this card is going to a friend to say thank you for an unexpected gift she sent me.

Cx

CAS(E) This Sketch: Girl Boss...

Hey,

So I have had this Girl Boss stamp set sitting on my desk forever..

And I haven't really known what to do with it..until I saw this week's CAS(E) This Sketch -

I thought some of the elements would work really well here and I feel vindicated as I LOVE my final card..

It was one of those super quick makes, I put the shoe, tote, sunnies onto stamp blocks and broke out my fave black ink for using with blocks (Stampin' Up's Basic Black) and stamped away.

I left a little space for the 'Girl Boss', which I decided worked best in purple.

Affix the white panel to the purple card blank and voila! finished card.

So happy with this and the fact that I finally used this stamp set. It also makes the perfect leaving card for my boss!

Cx

Retro Rubber #91..Feeling Sketchy...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a sketch for you this time, created by me!

I do love sketches, so much freedom.

The sketch and a visit to the aquarium with my Momma when she was here, inspired me to pull out a great (rarely used) set from Sweet Stamp Shop 'Eye See You' from 2016, now retired.

I did approx 5-10 test stamps of Mr Octopus, as he comes in x3 pieces - head and arms. I finally got the position I liked and stamped him for realz!

I pulled out a piece of ancient patterned paper and cut it with a new scalloped die from Your Next Stamp.

The sentiment is by Hero Arts and I added a googly eye for a bit of fun.

He is awesome and already left my desk to go to Momma, as a thank you for all the fun times we had together during her trip.

Show us your interpretation of the sketch and pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends July 27th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

FMS: OMG! How Old?...

Hey,

Happy Monday.

I had an early start this morning..6am PT session - UGH.

Over the weekend, I didn't really get to spend that much time at my desk, but I did find the time to make a card for the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge -

Love this sketch, super versatile.

I found a Monster already stamped on my desk, so decided he should be coloured and go on the card.

I started with a black card base and used a coverplate die (Lil Inker) on a piece of white cardstock. I stuck this piece to the card base and then added my red piece of paper.

I wanted the sentiment to kind of look like it was coming out of my Monsters mouth. But I kind of mis-judged it a bit, so it looks like he is swallowing the stickers LOL.

I heat-embossed the fun sentiment onto a piece of black card... I love this sentiment, it is by Create A Smile stamps and was a set I bought with a prize I won.

I'm pretty pleased with the ONE card I managed to make this weekend.

Cx