Retro Rubber Challenge.. #118.. Sketch Time...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

It has been a while, but this time have a sketch for you, created by me!

You know how much I love a sketch!

I had a lot of fun creating this card. I knew I wanted to use the large Cheers die by Winnie & Walter, that I have had for ages. I dug through my paper stash to find a fun background paper, once I settled on the My Minds Eye bubble paper you see on my card, I decided my colour scheme would be blue and yellow.

I die-cut two panels using stitched square dies from The Works in London and stamped the variety of glasses from the Waffle Flower 'Currently Drinking' set that I have had since 2017. I am a big fan of using mini stamps to create backgrounds.

After affixing all x3 panels to my card, I added the Cheers die-cut popped up with foam tape and a fun enamel dot.

This card is going to a male friend, as I thought he would like it.

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 September 6th.

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

Mini Love...

Hey,

Happy Monday to you!

I like to get creative with anniversary cards, especially as I send them to the same people every year!

I love the Love Heart Frame Die by Simon Says Stamp (sadly no longer for sale), it is SO versatile and I use it a lot.

This time, I thought it would be fun to use the 'Love' die and keep the negative part and make cards using that too.

The main heart frame die-cut I affixed to the awesome notecard card blanks from Target ($1 for 6) and added the Love word over the top of it.

A while ago I bought a random pack of mini 3x3 red papers and the mini square cards use two of these.

I love how cute these cards are and how easy they were to make.

Cx

Giant Hug..

Hey,

So a while ago my boss asked me for some cards that were 'thinking of you' in style, but didn't actually say that.

Pretty clear brief.

I made a ton of cards for her, but the ones I made using the Altenew Leaf Medallion set are my faves and they all used sentiments from the A-Muse Studios 'Fierce' set.

I fell in love with the Altenew set and had to have it, I love the variations that you can get from one set (praise the lord for stamping platforms) and I also love that Altenew always gives you a short ideas/instruction leaflet with their stamp sets.

The green inks are also by Altenew. I have x3 sets of their oval inks (greens, pinks, blues) and it took me a while, but I LOVE them now, the colours are so rich.

I've remade this card so many times and used lots of different sentiments in the centre.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #117... Still time to play Anything Goes..

Hey,

There is still time for you to play along with the current Retro Rubber challenge.

The theme this time is Anything Goes - aka everyone's fave!

Can't wait to see what you have made, pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends August 23rd.

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

Remember to be grateful...

Hey,

As you know July was spent celebrating Hubby's 40th birthday.

He had x2 parties, a birthday vacay and x2 family lunches - phew.

I really wanted HIM to say 'thanks' to a small group of people that had helped make his birthday fun and who had given him gifts (gifting is always optional with us).

Knowing Hubby as I do, I knew that if I left it too long to make the cards the moment for him to write them out would pass...

So I looked around my desk for inspiration and came across an alcohol ink thank you card that was already made. I dug out x4 more alcohol ink panels (top x2 use the alcohol ink lift technique) and whipped up x4 more cards!

I am super pleased with these, they look great and used things that I had already made.

Don't you love it when you find desk loot? Almost as good as loop furniture (I live in a complex that has 'loops' and you can put out your old furniture on the loops) - see below for Hubby's new desk that we found 2 weeks ago in our loop.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #117 Anything Goes..

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

We have everyone's fave theme this time -

Anything goes is always fun, but it does give me a bit of stage fright, all the things I could use!!

I had a fun playtime making my card today, it actually ended up spawning x2 cards!

It all started with this fun background that I made using a Dina Wakely stencil and distress oxides.

I used my newest tool the Wendy Vecchi Stay-Tion - it is amazing for stenciling.

I used a stitched rectangle die to trim down the stenciled panel, then I used a semi-circle die to cut a window. After I cut the window I decided that this card had to be a shaker!

The Dog stamps are Party Time by Hero Arts (no longer available) and I have had them since 2016 - true confession, this was their first-ever use..the shame.

I stamped the sentiment from a set I just bought second-hand (Pink Fresh Studio set) - directly onto the card blank. I love the sentiment and I thought it went perfectly with the happy dancing Dogs. I created the shaker piece and affixed it to the card blank. Then I added 3 of the dogs around the window.

I love it and I already sent it to a friend as a birthday card :)

Remember I said that I made x2 cards? Well here is the second card using the piece I cut out to create the shaker window and another one of the HA Dogs.

Looking forward to seeing your anything goes makes, be sure to pop on over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends August 23rd.

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

Unleash the Kraken!

Hey,

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a fun weekend.

I unexpectedly went to see Billy Idol and Bryan Adams in concert, which was surprisingly awesome!

I am a big fan of the Kraken myth and when I saw the great Legendary stamp set by Avery Elle, I knew it had to be mine.

I stamped the Kraken and then masked him off so I could add the clouds, using my fave Dutchdoobadoo stencil.

Sadly as I started colouring him, one of my Copic's belched and did this -

Ugh..I mean ugh. There was no way that I was going to redo this entire thing... So I decided that my Kraken was bringing a cake to celebrate 'your' birthday. Nice save, even if I do say so myself!

To finish my card, I mounted it onto a white card blank, then I used a Lawn Fawn wave die to die-cut the top of my embossed 'sea' panel and added the cake and the sentiment.

Fun card, much more Kraken based cards to come.

Cx

Hello Baby Boy...

Hey,

I recently fell in love with the Loveable Laundry set by Newton's Nook, so I bought it whilst I was on vacay.

Then I got back to the news that a friend had her baby and it felt like kismet!

I stamped and watercoloured all of the fun onesies/babygrows using distress inks. I die-cut them out using the matching die, after I had coloured them.

I created a background for the onesies/babygrows using a Clearly Besotted stencil and Broken China Distress Oxide ink.

The sentiment uses a Technique Tuesday 'hello' die that I have had forever and the 'baby boy' is from the same set as the onesies/babygrows.

Cute, fun card to make, now it really needs to go in the post with the real-life onesies/babygrows that I bought him.

Cx

Newton's Nook Inky Paws: Summer..

Hey,

Happy Friday!!

Whilst I was on vacation Newton's Nook had an awesome new release - I may or may not have bought a lot of it :)

I thought that it would be fun to play along with their current Inky Paws challenge -

I used the great Newton's Melon stamp and die on my card. Did you know that Cat's actually LOVE Watermelon?! I know weird right.

I stamped a SSS sun all over a white panel and then die-cut a little window using Lawn Fawn Stitched Scalloped window die.

I then mounted the panel onto a bright yellow card blank and added the sentiment and Newton.

Fun card, love a bright Summer card.

Have a great weekend, I am getting back to the gym on Saturday and then attacking the laundry mountain (sigh).

Cx

Happy Birthday Momma Bear!!

Hey,

Welcome to August!

Today is my Momma's birthday and I was lucky enough to see her last week.

The beautiful card I am posting today is actually for a friend and not for my Momma, as I was an idiot and didn't photograph her card. I know she loves this card though, so I thought it would be a great one to post today.

I actually did the colouring for this card during the most recent 30 Day Colouring challenge - hosted by the marvelous Kathy Rac.

I love this technique of heat embossing a large stamp and then watercolouring it - especially a floral stamp.

For this one, I used gold embossing powder, distress inks to watercolour with and added some inky splatters when I was done. The stamp I used is from Ellen Hutson and is called Mondo Sakura.

Here's a little photo of me and my parents last year on Momma's birthday when we went to Runnymede and had a very English day out - picnic, feeding ducks, drinking tea and listening to the cricket.

Happy Birthday Momma Bear, I love you.

Cx