Moving Along With The Times...Get Your Sketch On!...

Hey,

It's time for Team B over at Moving Along With the Times..

This week I am the hostess with the mostess :) I chose a sketch theme for today -

This is one of my fave sketch layouts, as you can rotate it and it still works.

Also I am offering you a prize this week - I am clearing out my NBUS (never before used schtuff) and this Xcut birdcage die has never been used, so I thought one of you fabulous people would treat it better!

I decided to work with a colour theme of red, white and black, partly because I knew I wanted to layer the label die-cuts (xCut label dies) and thought it might end up too fussy with lots of patterns.

I embossed the white papers using a Darice folder, to make them stand out a bit. The heart and arrow I stamped and heat embossed.

I tried blingy gems in the top left, but they didn't work, so I went with Candi (from JT) - they always work!

Now it's your turn..but first check out the rest of the Team B's sketchy makes over at MAWTT.

Don't forget that we have a Design Team call going on right now

Go here for all the details - can't wait to welcome our new teammates to our friendly little team.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #6 - Get Sketchy...

Hey,

Welcome to Team A's take on  Retro Rubber Challenge #6 - Can't believe we are at number 6 already!!

This time we have a sketch for you -

Don't forget to use stamps that are over a year old.

I turned the sketch clockwise, so that I could use one of my fave stamp sets "You're Out of This World" by Kirsty Wiseman. I've had it about 3 years and I love using it.

Normally I colour in the spaceship, but this time I just wanted to use it as an outline.

I am a little bit in love with the chevron / arrow paper I used, it's by Imaginisce (a American Crafts brand) from the Perfect Vacation stack. The stars are from my stash.

It all worked out very nicely and I am adding it to my personal stash (not the for sale pile).

For more inspiration go over to Retro Rubber and see the rest of Team A's creations.

Cx

Tim Holtz - 12 Tags of 2015 - January..

Hey,

So I made my first tag for Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2015  before I left for Tel Aviv and I LOVE IT!!

If you saw my WOYWW #293 post, you will remember a strange Monster in the corner, he was hiding this beauty :)

I really wanted to join in last year's 12 tags, but to be frank the techniques, etc scared me a bit :)

Now after a year of learning, practicing and exploring I felt ready..

I didn't have all of the items on Tim's product list, but no matter that made it even more fun - hunting for things to use instead.

I started by making my own tissue paper - I made myself a promise - only one new item per tag - new item for January was the ChitChat Stickers.

I used white tissue paper and Bo Bunny stamps (To the point and It is written) and a free text stamp in silver. Here is a photo of the paper before I used it -

This was a new technique for me, super easy, fun to do and has endless possibilities.

I used my Silhouette to cut 2015 out of chipboard and double sided adhesive. After adding distress paints (Mustard Seed, Broken China, Mowed Lawn) and a blue mist to the tag, I stuck the 2015 on and glittered the numbers.

I decided that I would use the stickers to describe what I want from 2015. Here is a close-up of the tag -

I covered the entire tag in Modge Podge (no glue and seal in my stash) and outlined the stickers using distress markers in the same colours as the paints.

Final touches were the glittery star and the purple ribbon.

I'm really pleased with my first attempt at a Tim Holtz tag.

Come on February..I'm ready for the next one!

Cx

Moving Along With The Times...Design Team Call..

Hey,

I am back from Israel, a bit sleepy, but I wanted to tell you about the MAWTT Design Team call.

We are looking for some New Design Team Members. 

If you would like to join our friendly team can you say YES to the Questions Below??????

Can you work well in a Team?

Can you make a Card/Project once a fortnight for the challenge?

Can you Comment on a set amount of entries every fortnight?

Can you host a Challenge once every 6 months?  (This means choosing a theme and writing the blog post for the challenge that week)

If you are interested email Hazel at didosdesigns@yahoo.com with Design Team Call in the Subject Line.

In your email can you show me 1 of your favorite makes, your blog address and WHY we should pick you to be in the Team. 

The DT Call is open until 2nd February 2015. We will let everyone know if they have been successful by 5th Feb.

Good Luck..

Cx

Washi Tape Stamp Fun..Part 4..

Hey,

So this is the final card in my Kaisercraft Decorative Tape Pieces stamp series.

You can see parts one, two and three in the sidebar.

With this card, I decided to aim for a chalkboard style subway art thing.. I stamped the different tapes in white on black card to get a kind of chalky, grungy feel.

I used an already cut sentiment in black on a clear transparent panel, that I attached with mini staples.

The Happy Birthday shows up better in real life...honest :)

Have a great weekend.

Cx

Keep it simple..

Hey,

I love techniques and tools, but sometimes it's fun to keep it simple.

I made today's card for my friend Carole..I sent her something in the post (not sure if it's arrived yet, hence the 'something') and wanted to make a card to accompany it.

I decided that I would use 1 ink - neon purple by Hero Arts, because it worked with the card base.

I stamped the mini doily stamp across the centre of the paper, as a feature - I am really liking this idea right now, I keep seeing it on my work..
The hello is die-cut from Silhouette chipboard and then I inked the edges. The die and the sweet friend stamp are both by Wplus9.

Super simple card - I have 6 doily stamps, I might need to make a set of these..

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #6 - Get Sketchy...

Hey,

It's time for another challenge over at Retro Rubber.

This week we have a sketch for you and first up are Team B - so go over to Retro Rubber and check out their creations and join in the fun.

I'll be back next week to show you my card :)

Cx

Washi Tape Stamp Fun..Part 3..

Hey,

It's time for part three of my Kaisercraft Decorative Tape Pieces stamp card series..

You can find parts one and two in the side bar if you are interested.

This card was inspired by a piece of vellum that was on my desk..I stamped the tapes in different bronze / browns.

I used a SSS Khaki ink to stamp the sentiment onto the vellum, then I dusted over some Liquid Platinum Ranger embossing powder and heat embossed it.

I love that this powder comes out gold. It's very impactful. I decided to attached the vellum panel using mini staples.

As with part two I've had to embrace an oops..see the bottom of the card, there is a faint ink splodge..

I dropped one of the stamp blocks after stamping and I got a little trace of ink. Meh! I decided to get over it and show you it as it is!

Cx

Washi Tape Stamp Fun..Part 2..

Hey,

Today I am showing you the second card I made using the Kaisercraft Decorative Tape Pieces stamps. If you want to see part one, you'll find it in the sidebar.

This card reminds me of the covers Shogun novels my Ma read when I was a child - I think it's the colours.

I used a red circle sticker as my anchor and stamped the sentiment and the tape stamp around this.

Simple, but effective.

I have had to embrace an oops to show this to you - as the sentiment (by SSS) took a couple of goes to ink up right!

Cx

Washi Tape Stamp Fun..Part 1..

Hey,

So from now on for a week or so, my posts will be scheduled..as I am off to Israel - amazing!

I acquired so much new stash from Black Friday and Christmas that I am only just starting to play with some of it!!

I got these really cute Decorative Tape Pieces stamps by Kaisercraft from Joann's. They were a huge bargain.

I've noticed recently that my posts are leaning towards long and wordy..So to balance that out, I split this into 4 parts - one card per part :)

First up is the main photo today - using the stamps as sea in different shades of blue.

The 'Birthday Fishes' stamp set is by SSS. All the inks are by Studio G.

I like the fact that this card feels like it could be given to anyone of any age..

Cx

Moving Along With The Times...Dies or Punches...

Hey,

It's my first MAWTT of 2015, so I get to wish you Happy New Year!

This week it is the lovely Hazel hosting and her theme is 'Dies or Punches'

Perfect for me, as I have lots of both!

I went with Dies AND Punches - dies for the square and the heart, punch for the sentiment label.

I decided to make a shaker card, as I had recently viewed the best tutorial ever here - you have to try it out, super simple and I managed to make a shaker without making a mistake :)

I used all American Crafts papers - scraps..(my quest to use them all continues into 2015..), the sequins, beads and glitter are just from my stash. I punched out a sentiment I printed, using a Stampin' Up mini label punch. I also used square and heart dies by Sizzix.

For a finishing touch I added enamel dots - a new purchase from Michaels...

Pretty pleased with this vision in pink! Only change, is next time I will use a contrasting colour for the heart background..

Now it's your turn to join in the fun, hop on over to MAWTT and check out Team B's fabulous creations.

Cx

WOYWW#293...Busy Time..quiet desk..

Hey,

So I am writing this on my way to work...

All a bit hectic right now. Especially as Hubby and I are off to Israel on Friday!
I won a trip at work and I'm taking Hubby with me.

Anyway if you are wondering why there is a photo of my desk its because it is WOYWW.. The time of the week when we join Julia at her blog Stamping Ground for a global desk nosy..

My desk is quiet after a big weekend of making. It is not tidy though..you can see a parcel that I need to post, with my cheque book on top (no idea why), a sheet of stamps, some cards and papers for a mini craft kit to take to Israel and an empty container to house some of my buttons. Oh and a bonus shot of me :)

You can also see a weird monster just above the parcel..I realised that there was something there I shouldn't be showing there yet!

Cx

Retro Rubber #5 - Still time to play..

Hey,

There is still time for you to join in the latest challenge over at Retro Rubber.

Today Team B are showing you their wonderful creations, so hop on over and check them all out and join in the fun.

Remember if you don't have a Crimper, you can still play along, just pull out your scoring board, like a few of us did. Here is my card from last week -

Cx

Card Concept..Happy Anniversary...

Hey,

Hope you all had a great weekend, I had a quiet one mainly spent at my desk.

I saw that Card Concept are celebrating their one year anniversary.

I have really enjoyed their challenges over the past year and I actually learnt how to 'freestyle collage' thanks to the CC team..

This is the inspiration for the anniversary challenge -

I decided I would go with Clean and Simple for my entry.

I love the end result, every time I look at it, I smile :)

I used SSS Favourite Flowers stamp set for the flowers and leaves, I stamped them in 2 colours of pink. The sentiment is by Hero Arts.

To make it sparkle a bit, I added a few teeny tiny gems.

I am loving a central feature strip on my cards right now..I wonder why?!

Cx

Simon Says Stamp..Something New..

Hey,

Hope you are having a good weekend so far.

I am having a great time playing at my desk, eating and shopping :)

Today I am entering another challenge - Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

This week the theme is Something New - stash, technique, home, baby, etc

They are also showcasing SSS products..I have tons and I used them yesterday, but this card just evolved without them..

I used a mixture of new stash and new baby. I needed to make a New Baby Girl card, so this worked perfectly.

The doily stamp background is new and I have a set of 6 different doily stamps. I didn't re-ink the stamp much and I like the result.

The bookplate is from my new Tim Holtz tag and bookplate die, I coloured it at the same time as Friday's tag - efficient! The drips and variation of colour on the bookplate make me very happy! I printed a sentiment from my computer and added bing for the final touches.

I've been loving the more modern feel to baby cards recently and I'm pleased with how this card feels.

Cx

FMS with a Simon Says Stamp twist...

Hey,

It's challenge weekend for me.

I entered a couple yesterday, but I have 2 more I want to do this weekend.

First up is Freshly Made Sketches -

I LOVE this sketch, it is so cool. I will totally be using it again.

As I have been off work since NYE, I only picked up my January Simon Says Stamp card kit on Thurs.

I thought the sketch and the kit combined would make a great Thank You card for Lemon. Inside joke for us, as it snowed when she was here.

I used the papers and the stamps from the kit and a SSS stitched rectangle die. I thought the sentiment rectangle looked boring, so I used a new mini distress ink in Weathered Wood around the edges to give it an icy feel. I love the result..

Yay! I can't wait to send it.

Cx

Colour Throwdown NBUS...

Happy Friday Everyone!

I am a touch sad, as Lemon has left...but we have our Israel trip to look forward to, so its not all bad.

I really wanted to enter a challenge this week and remembered 2 in particular had made me get itchy craft fingers..

The wonderful Darnell's 3rd NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) and Color Throwdown -

So I combined the 2 challenges to get today's main card..

Let's start with the NBUS and Darnell is going to love this, there is oodles of it :) The tag and heart dies, the red gelatos (for the distressed background), Bo Bunny It is written stamp for the text and the black enamel dot.

All of my NBUS is from either Black Friday or Christmas..

I am really eager to make tags this year and I am going to be attempting Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2015. I saw this great tag on Pinterest and I liked the techniques so I did a bit of a CASE.

First I cut and embossed my tag - yep the hearts are embossed - cool right?

I then smeared red and pink gelatos onto my craft mat and then spritzed this with water, I smushed (technical term) the tag into it and dried it with a heat tool. I used the text stamp over the top of the dry tag in a contrasting red ink. I stenciled over this in black and grey and finally to make the embossing pop, I smudged red gelato around the raised hearts.

For the final touches I added ribbon, a punched embossed heart and the sentiment with a black enamel dot.

I love the flash of white to fit the CDT theme.

The whole tag is technique heavy, but I love it, such a wonderfully different Anniversary card.

Vignette CASE...

Hey,

So back to work properly for me today and Lemon returns home (sob)..

Last Monday (29th Jan) whilst I was waiting for Lemon to arrive, I saw this on one of my Pinterest boards -

I loved it so much, that I thought I'd CASE it..

I ended up making 3 versions - the main photo today is the Orange/Yellow version.

For all 3 of the cards, I used a Happy die and cut it in white - I didn't layer it like the Pinterest version, I wanted it to be flatter against the card.The 'just a note' stamp is by Wplus9. Bling by Papermania.

The ink pads are a new purchase, that I bought from Aliexpress (Chinese eBay sort of..) they are like a vignette of colour -

I bought 3 of them - Orange/Yellow, Purples and Greens.

Here are the other 2 cards -

I used a different 'Birthday' stamp for each of them and contrasting ink. The best choice of stamp was the one I used on the Orange version.

I am really pleased with how these came out, I'll be making more, maybe using a different main word.

Cx

WOYWW #292..2015 already?!

Hey,

Happy WOYWW to you all - the first one of 2015...I am still wondering where 2014 went..is it a sign of age, that the year's seem to be rocketing past me?!

I had a mini WOYWW pause at the end of 2014, because it got so crazy at work..

For the newbies out there - WOYWW is when we link up with our Fab hostess Julia at her blog Stamping Ground and have a nose at desks all around the World.

Today, I decided to mix things up and show you not my desk, but what sits above my desk - my noticeboard.

Here is another photo of the noticeboard, but with text to explain whats what! (enlarge the photo to read the text)

I love my noticeboard, I covered it myself with Ikea fabric and it has a magnetic middle and cork edge, so I can pin things too.

It is a constantly evolving entity and I am always adding and removing things, which is great and is something I didn't have the space for in London.

You can also see my thrift store bargain lamp, which is awesome for the $12 I spent - we have a few of these fab thrift store bargains all over our apartment.

As always here is a little card for you WOYWWers -

I love playing with Hexagons and this card was fun to make and feels quite unisex.

Happy WOYWW everyone.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #5...Retro Tools - Crimper...

Hey,

So the Holiday season is over and it's back to normal.

What better way to welcome in the New Year than with a Retro Rubber Challenge?

This time we are asking you to use a Retro Tool alongside your older stamps...

I do not have a crimper, but I didn't let that stop me..I used a scoring tool to make a rosette..almost the same :)

I used a set of freebie stamps that I have had for about 5 years...

I wanted my card to look like a present, with the rosette and the paper strips finishing off the wrapping. I stamped the sweets in 4 different colours for a bit of fun.

Now it's your turn, but first pop over to Retro Rubber and check out the rest of the creations from the Fabulous Team A.

The challenge runs until January 16th.

Cx

2014 in Review Part 2....

Hey,

Hope you enjoyed part 1 of my 2014 year in review.

Today I am showing you the second half of the year (with another bonus main photo)..

July

OWH make..I learnt how to mask

Hello Shaker Card....

August

Cards for Card Swap...

Pop-up birthday card for Ma...

September

Stamptember use a stencil card..

October

SSS Challenge entry - Transport...

November

Pinterest Calendar idea..brought to life

Christmas Card for JT

December

Playdate make - heat embossed background..

Monochrome loveliness...

Once again a variety of techniques and styles. Cool to review my own work and I have some notes about things to retry, etc

I've updated my 'Fave Makes' page - there are only 12, so sadly, some of my review faves didn't make the cut.

Cx