Retro Rubber Challenge #241 - Tic-Tac-Toe..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

I am in the midst of Hurricane Milton prep, we are about 30mins east of Tampa Bay, fortunately not in a flood or evac zone, but still needing to prep. We have our hurricane shutters up and we have all the supplies we need. I am thinking of you if you are in an area that is affected. 

This time we have a tic-tac-toe board for you.

I went with Pumpkin - Your Choice - Patterned Paper.

My choice was solid paper. I love the stamp by Taylored Expressions 'Bubble Greetings: Halloween' I have had it since 2019 and it is a firm fave, such a great stamp for quick and easy Halloween cards.

Which row will you choose? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends October 18th.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #240 - Sketch Challenge..

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a sketch for you this time.

You know how much I love a sketch!

Even though I only used 1 stamp, everything I used is 'Retro' LOL. The papers I have had since I moved to the US in 2013!! My stamp is from 2019 by Concord & 9th 'Geometrics' set.

This came together so well, that I made a 2nd one out of the scraps!


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

Challenge ends October 4th.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #239 - Colour Feeling Fallish..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have some lovely Fall / Autumn colours for you..

I thought palette would work really well with a Concord & 9th turnabout stamp. I settled on 'Wreath Turnabout' - this is their OG wreath turnabout and I love it, I bought it in 2020 when Jenn Shurkus was having a destash. Autumnal colours are lovely, I don't really get these colours here in Tampa, I do miss that.

I used inks by Taylored Expressions (Lavender Glaze, Jelly Donut) and Alternew (Marigold, Chamomile).

I was a bit stuck about what to do for a sentiment and I settled on the hello die by MFT from their 'Hi, Hello, There' set that I have had since 2021.

I'm thrilled at how pretty this is and it was SO easy, I love turnabouts, especially when I use the Altenew stamp wheel which is perfect for these stamps.

Show us your interpretation of the colours, pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT has made.

Challenge ends September 20th.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #238 - Theme - The Great Outdoors...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

A bit late posting this, but I got sidetracked last week when I got back from my solo cruise, which was a blast!

This is such a fun theme, but I was a bit worried, as I had just used my ONLY camping set for another challenge lol.

I remembered having this fun set 'Forest Friends' by My Favorite Things (I've had it since 2021). I am a Star Wars fan, so I loved the sentiment I used here, it made me chuckle and later this year, I will be repurposing this card for my Daddy's birthday, as he is a big Star Wars fan too.

I used all of the animal and tree stamps to create my background, coloured with Altenew markers. I decided to use a Taylored Expressions Shaker infinity panel because then I don't lose too much of the background.

It's such a fun card, I love it, hopefully Daddy will too.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #237 - Tic Tac Toe

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a tic tac toe board for you.

I went with the diagonal row from top left - Rectangles - Heat/Dry Emboss - Your Choice

My choice was the fun mermaid stamp - 'Bubbly Birthday' by MFT and I have had it since 2022. I do not have the dies, so it was cut using my Brother scan n cut aka Big Sexy. I chose all my papers for a kind of ocean vibe! I die cut them all using rectangle dies and stacked them up.  I used a fave big spot embossing folder for the top rectangle.

It is so cute and I love all the layers.

I realised that I also fit the bottom row, as my base paper has gold flecks throughout it! A rare twofer!

Which row will you choose? Pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends August 23.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #236 - Sketchy time

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

I am super excited today, as my Goddaughter and her mother arrive today for a visit, fun times ahead!

This time we have a sketch with a twist. Time to make a slimline card.

I tried slimline cards, but I felt they were too big for my style, I am pretty CAS and they always felt a bit empty! Once I discovered mini slimline I was hooked.

For this card I rotated the sketch. I love this stamp set by Papertrey Ink 'Stacked Sentiments' I have had it since 2020 and it always stamps beautifully, you also get a large thanks, hello and today and a bunch of mini sentiment stamps to use along side the bigger ones, which I have done here. 

To create the border I used x2 of the tiny detail stamps that come with the set in the same colour ink and I added some bling to represent the little circle detail in the sketch.

It came together really well and I just love that Jelly Donut ink by Taylored Expressions.

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

Challenge ends August 9th.

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 Kracken...

 

Hey,

Happy Friday!

I was recently laid off from my job, so I have some time on my hands :) 

It was Hubby's 45th birthday last Sunday and I had real trouble making him a card. I made a bunch of them and finally had an idea that I liked LOL.

I started by creating the cloud background using my fave MFT Cloud stencil with distress oxides. I then die cut that panel to shape, as that shape would inform the placement of my elements.

The Kracken is a fave stamp by Avery Elle and the ship and the cake are part of the set too. 

I decided that my cloud dies by Lawn Fawn looked like sea when you use the other side. I cut them in 2 colours and stacked them using foam tape. I tucked the Kracken in and added the cake, the ship and the rest of the sentiment.

I am so happy with it and Hubby loved it too!

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #235 - Colour Challenge

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

Time for a colour palette challenge! If you know me, you will recognise these as my fave colours lol!

I love Gracielle Design, she makes amazing digital stamps. The one I used here is called 'Tea for the soul' and I have had it since 2019. I printed the cup and the sentiment and coloured the cup using Altenew markers. I created the fun lemon background using stamps by Avery Elle 'Funny Faces' from 2022.

I really love the colours on this card.

I hope you are inspired by the colours, can't wait to see what you make, pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends July 26.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #234 - Christmas in July..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

Time for Christmas in July!

This is such a great way to get started on your Christmas cards. 

I was thrilled when I saw the fun inspiration image, it reminded me of a fave stamp of mine by Sassy Crafting 'Home for the Holidays' that I got in 2020. I love the cute little car with the tree, I use it a lot, it makes a super quick and cute card.

I added a bit of patterned Christmas paper and a simple sentiment by AALL & Create.

I am excited to make more of these cute cards.

Over to you to show us your Christmas in July makes and pop on over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends July 12.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #229 Tic-Tac-Toe...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a tic-tac-toe board, everyone's fave!

I went with the middle vertical row. Stencil-Summer-Green.

I used the fun palm tree stencil by Carta Bella that I have had since 2017 to create my background (sorry it was hard to photograph!). The cute little flip-flop stamp / scalloped piece is by Pretty Pink Posh and was part of Ellen Hutson's 'Summer of Stamping' in 2021. I love this set, it is so fun to colour. I used green to colour the towel and the flip-flops and I added a little smudge of yellow ink to the edge of the scallop. Final touch was the fun sentiment, by Simon Says Stamp from their 'Flip Flop Season' set that I have had since 2015.

I love this summery card, it is too cute!

Which row will you choose? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT has made.

Challenge ends June 28.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #232 Get your sketch on!

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a sketch for you this time.

You know how much I love a sketch!

I love the lighthouse stamp by Pink & Main, it is from their 'love the shore' cardkit from 2022 and a friend gave me the set last year, the sentiment is also from the set. I added just plain blue squares to fit the sketch and embossed the background using an ancient anchor embossing folder.

I feel like this is the perfect card for a guy!

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 June 14th.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #231 Colour challenge...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a pretty colour challenge for you.

I was very excited by these colours and then I made my card and covered the shaded spruce!!

I used two oldie but goodie sets by My Favorite Things - Flashy Florals and Large Desert Bouquet, I have both of them since 2016.

I created the background using distress oxides and flowers from both stamp sets. I added some leaves.. that are foolishy covered by my sentiment (eye roll). I like to add a piece of vellum, when I create my own backgrounds. I want to show them off as much as possible LOL. The sentiment is new to me and I think it's Mama Elephant, but I bought a cardmakers stash on eBay and some things were not labeled!

I am super happy with my card and I hope you have as much fun with the colours as I did.

How will you use the colours? Join in and show us and don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends May 31.

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. And you don't have to have a blog, you can enter using Flickr, Instagram and Facebook.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #230 Nautical Theme

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

I just got back from Lemon's 50th Birthday Cruise!! More to come on that in another post ;)

This time we have a nautical theme for you.

I chose the theme for this challenge, I love all things nautical and if my hubby would let me, I can guarantee our bedroom would look like the inspiration image!

I had all kinds of ideas, but ultimately, the navy and white stripes inspired me. Which meant I got to get out my fave set ever 'Brushstrokes' by Stampin' Up, I have had it since 2015 and it is used a lot. I also wanted to incorporate a nautical icon of some sort and the anchor is perfect. It is by Pink & Main from 'The Shore' card kit 2022.

Show us your interpretation of the theme and, pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT has made.

Challenge ends May 17th.

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. And you can enter using Instagram, Facebook or Flickr, you don't have to have a blog!

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #233 Tic Tac Toe..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a tic-tac-toe board for you.

I went with the middle vertical row - Gems/Sequins-Embossing Folder-Stitching.

It's 50th birthday central in my life right now. As I was born in September, the school system opted to make me wait a year before I went to Secondary School (High School) and so most of my friends are a year younger than me!

I love these number dies, I have no idea who they are by, I bought them second-hand from Cheiron. I use them SO much. The embossing folder is ancient, I think I bought it on my very first trip to Joann's when we moved to the US back in 20213.

I love using the sentiment stamp for milestone birthday cards, it's pretty much how I feel about getting older. It is from a set by The Ink Road 'Just a Number' I have had it since 2018. I added a little bit of bling to each side of the sentiment - didn't want to overdo it, as this card is for a dude!

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 May 3rd.

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #228 - Sketch Time..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time, we have a sketch to inspire your creativity.

Personally, I'm a big fan of sketches, and I had already planned out the central portion of my card based on this particular one. 

However, I hadn't given much thought to the rest of the card, so I decided to create an embossed panel for the background, and added a sparkly paper stripe for some extra fun. For my flower spray, I used the 'Simplest Gestures' stamp set by Pink Fresh Studio, which I've had since attending Crop and Create in 2021. This stamp set is particularly enjoyable to use, as you have to stencil in the coloured parts of the flowers.

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 April 19th.

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

Memory Pockets Monthly - April 2024 - Genuine - Cards part 1...

Hey,

Happy Good Friday to you!

My office is closed today, so I am planning on spending most of it at my craft desk.

We have a new MPM release over at The Lilypad today - 'Genuine', it's gorgeous! 

I was inspired to create cards that use journal cards as the focal point.

Journal cards are so pretty, sadly I am not a journaler, but I figured out a way to incorporate them into cards.

Main photo - I used a 4x4 journal card, die-cut using a square stitched die from my stash. I anchored the card using a strip of paper from the kit and popped it up using foam tape, the sentiment is by Ellen Hutson. I made x2 of these. I think you could easily hand-cut these out and skip the stamp or handwrite a sentiment.

Photo above - I used x2 different journal cards here and I let them help me choose the backgrounds. The bird card has 'hello' on it and that inspired my stamp choice. The 'go your own way' card made me think of arrows, so I used a Dyan Reaverly stencil to create the background. Also very easy. You could also use papers from the kit for the backgrounds if you prefer.

Photo above - I went with a small square card, mini square cards are very cute! Again used 4x4 journal cards. I used dies to cut the cards and the larger paper squares. The papers are from the kit. You could always cut the squares by hand. 

I used -

MPM April 2024 - Genuine Kit

https://the-lilypad.com/store/GENUINE-April-24/

From my stash - stamps, dies, stencils, Distress Oxide inks, black ink, foam tape, die-cutting machine, paper trimmer, double-sided tape.

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge #227 - Colour Challenge..

 

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a fun colour challenge for you.

I loved working with these colours.

I saw an idea by Susie Moore using the set by Pink Fresh Studio 'Birds & Bows' that I have had since 2018. So I thought I would CASE it. Mine is a bit different as I stuck to the colour palette for the challenge and I used less bows!

I added a cake from Ellen Hutson's 'Wish Big' set - another one from 2018. The sentiment is by Mama Elephant from 'Mixed Birthday Sentiments'.

I love how it came out and it was fun to CASE a card.

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 April 5th.

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

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge #226 - Theme

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

Ths time we have a spring theme for you.

I love flowers and now I am slowly becoming a gardener spring brings much excitement!

I have these pretty orangey-red flowers in my front garden (no idea what they are, the landscaper for the builder added them) and they inspired my colour palette.

I used 'Mondo Sakura' by Ellen Hutson that I have had since 2019. I heat embossed the stamp onto watercolour paper and then watercoloured it using Altenew Watercolour brush markers. The sentiment is also from the set and despite having used this set a lot, I have never ever used this sentiment combo!

Which spring flowers do you have in your stash that will inspire you? Pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends March 22nd.

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

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge #225 - Tic-Tac-Toe

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a fun Tic-Tac-Toe board

I think everyone loves a Tic-Tac-Toe.

I went with the last vertical row - Pattern Paper - Gnome - Floral.

I have had the 'Spring Gnomes' set by MFT since 2022 and this is the FIRST time I have used it!! I am not normally a Gnome fan, but I love Easter stamps so I remember really wanting these! 

I stamped and coloured my cute little Gnome using Altenew markers, I actually cut him out using my Brother Scan n Cut, I don't normally do that for just one stamped image, but he was too cute to mess up with my dodgy fussy cutting LOL.

The Gnome Grown sentiment is from a set by Stamping Bella 'Oddball Gnome Family Sentiments' from 2022. I love the pun here and I added 'gift for you', which I created on my computer and then printed out.

The papers are both from my stash and I have no idea who they are by, because 3 years ago shortly before the move to Tampa, I started cutting my papers to 4x6 so I would use more of my ENORMOUS stash.

So that the heart and the floral paper didn't clash too much, I added a piece of die-cut vellum. I like this as a trick.

A super cute card that will accompany a gift for a friend.

Which row will you choose? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends March 8th.

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

Retro Rubber #224 - Sketch Challenge..

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge. Fun fact, I forgot to write this post before I left for the cruise! So wrote this whilst on the deck on my lounger. Isn't technology amazing! 

Sketch time! You know how much I love a sketch and this is one of mine :)

I love this set by Avery Elle 'Sweet Swines' that I have had since 2020. It is always easy to make pretty cards with it and the pig on the scooter is my fave. I used bling to mimic the hearts in my sketch and the sentiment is by Stampin' Up from 2022 'Sweet Conversation' set. 

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 February 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

Retro Rubber #223 - Colour Challenge - Winter Blue Ombre..

Hey,

Welcome to another fab Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a colour challenge for you.

I like creating ombre backgrounds. This time I did something a bit different. I stamped the rainbow (Rainbow background by Momenta 2023) onto watercolour paper and heat embossed it in white to create a resist. Then I used 3 different blue Distress Oxide inks with water to add colour to the panel, fading out to white at the bottom.

The unicorn is one of my all-time fave stamps by Pink Fresh Studio 'Unicorn Dreams' that I have had since 2018. I stamped it in blue ink here onto watercolour paper. The sentiment is from the same set.

I love how it turned out, the blues are so pretty.

I'm excited to see what you will create. Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends February 9th

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

Retro Rubber Challenge #222 - Winter Theme..

Hey,

Happy New Year! And welcome to the first fun Retro Rubber challenge of 2024.

This time we have a fun winter theme for you.

I decided to use a set 'Snow Day' by Clearly Besotted, that I have not used that much until Christmas 2023. I made a bunch of Christmas cards with it, so it was front of mind.

I created the little scene by masking the house and hippos from the set and then I blended distress oxides to create the wintery background. I added some white gel pen to give it all a snowy feel.

I love how this came out.

Which wintery stamps will you use? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends January 26th.

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

Happy 2024 and New in HNM Store!

 

Hey,

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2024.

I had a mixed 2023, but it ended really well and that is good enough for me.

The HamnMule store has been growing slowly and I hope to dedicate more time to it next year.

I just popped these super cute mini notecards in the store. There are x8 in the pack and you get free mini sentiments too, so you can make the cards a bit more personal.

Cute right!

And the best bit is they are only $4.00 + tax and shipping.

Thanks for looking.

Cx