Retro Rubber #244 Challenge - Sketch time...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a sketch for you this time.

You know how much I love a sketch and I knew the minute I saw it that I had the perfect stamp set for it!

Tiny Terranium by Waffle Flower (I've had it since 2019) is a gorgeous stamp set. I love watercolouring it, which is exactly what I did here. I tend to use Distress Inks to watercolour with, I find them easy to blend and shade with.
The sentiment 'holder' on the stamp is super small, so I punched my own banner and added the sentiment. 

The papers are by Scrapbook.com and I got them as part of Crop and Create this year, they are beautiful. I added some bling to match the sketch.

I love this card, it took forever to colour, but so worth it.

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

Challenge ends November 29th.

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.

If you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends. Hubby and I are spending the day with our wonderful friends and their family. We will see you after the Holiday for the last RR challenge of 2024.

Cx

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge - #195 - You had me at Ombre...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have an ombre theme for you..

Recently I have been working with these strip dies and I decided to make the ombre part of my card using these.

I have a bunch of the Michaels colour tone pads, which are great for this kind of card. I used the 'Pink Buttons' one here.

After I had applied all the paper strips to my white card, I had to stamp my sentiment and I was a bit nervous about stamping over the beautiful ombre! But this is where a stamp platform is your best friend!

I used the Waffle Flower 'Oversized Smile' set that I have had since it was released in April 2021 and this is its first use (shame..).

It came out well and makes me smile to look at 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 November 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

Fusion Card Challenge - Pumpkin Mug...

Hey,

Welcome to another fantastic Fusion Card Challenge.

A bit of an absence from me, with the move, etc, but I am back! 

This time we have 'Pumpkin Mug' for you. As always both the sketch and the inspiration image are awesome.

Which will you try?

I loved both, so I fused them!

The pumpkins and the mugs inspired me. I used a fave set of mine by Waffle Flower 'Happy Fall' - are you like me and don't always use the tiny stamps in a set? Well this was a great opportunity to do that. I used a bunch of scrap papers to mimic the sketch and created a little pumpkin, pie, mug scene.

Sorry my photo is a touch dark, but I am still getting used to the light at night in the new house.

Make sure you check out all the rest of the inspiration by the DT over at the Fusion challenge blog, and play along with your own creation! When playing along you may use the sketch OR the photo to inspire your makes. OR, if you are feeling adventurous, you can fuse them together (see what I did there!).

Can't wait to see your makes. 

Challenge ends on October 26th.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #161 Photo Inspiration...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have photo inspiration for you.

I love ice-cream and I had so much choice for this challenge as I have a ton of ice-cream related stamps.

I decided to use the Waffle Flower 'Sweet Ice Cream' set that I have had since 2019. I love how versatile it is and it comes with a ton of stamps.

I created a background using the ice-cream / popsicle stamps. I then added a die-cut vellum circle, so my sentiment and mice would stand out.

The sentiment is from the set and I heat embossed it and cut it out.

This card makes me want ice-cream!

Show us your interpretation of the photo. Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends July 2nd.

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 #151 Colour Challenge..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a fun colour challenge for you this time.

I love this colour way, it's a fave of mine.

I dug out the Waffle Flower 'Monochrome' set that I got from Jenn Shurkus in 2016 and FINALLY got dies for it last year LOL. I am very patient.

The hearts are from an underused set 'Heart to Heart' by The Stamp Market - I have had this since 2019, I love it, I just need to use it more!

I added a strip of grey paper to work as 'grass' for my Sheep.

I love this card, it made a great addition to my personal Valentine card pile.

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

Challenge ends February 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

Fusion Card Challenge - Flowers

 Hey,

Welcome to another fantastic Fusion Card Challenge.

This time we have 'flowers' for you! As always both the sketch and the inspiration image are awesome.

Which will you try? I have SO many flower stamps, that I knew I had to fuse them. 

The fancy vase kind of reminded me of a cup, so was a perfect fit for my Waffle Flower x Helen Dardik 'Enveloper Coffee' stamp (I literally worship Helen Dardik).

I stamped it onto watercolour paper and watercoloured it, adding some sakura gelly roll stardust pens for shimmer (IRL, SO SHIMMERY!!).

I added papers and a banner to match the sketch. The sentiment was just perfect, it seemed like the kind of thing that the cheeky girl in the cup might say if she saw you looking at her! It is by Rabbit Hole Designs from their 'Perfectly Blended' set and if you are a coffee/tea fan, you need these in your life.

I always love cards I make with this stamp and I am always reluctant to send them to anyone LOL.

Make sure you check out all the rest of the inspiration by the DT over at the Fusion challenge blog, and play along with your own creation! When playing along you may use the sketch OR the photo to inspire your makes. OR, if you are feeling adventurous, you can fuse them together (see what I did there!).

Can't wait to see your makes. 

Challenge ends on February 2nd.

Cx

Fusion Card Challenge: Thankful...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Fusion Card Challenge.

This time we have 'Thankful' for you! As always both the sketch and the inspiration image are awesome.

Which will you try?

I loved both, but it's not a true fuse if you ask me! I was inspired to use some of the floral elements from the photo and the pretty wreath style at the bottom of the table runner.

The sketch was made for me I think, I LOVE circles.

I die-cut x3 circles out of white cardstock and I stamped the large one, using a Waffle Flower set and then the smaller ones are both using a Christine Adolph flower stamp. I coloured them all in tones of lilac and purple. I added gold glitter gel pen for the centres and a bit of gold bling here and there.

It makes me smile every time I see it, it's so simple and why haven't I mixed flower stamps before?!

I used -

Waffle Flower w/Big Bear and Bird - Bear and Bird

Christine Adolph - Cheerful Bloom

Neat & Tangled - Gold glitter enamel dots

Sakura GellyRoll - Starburst Glitter gel pen

Make sure you check out all the rest of the inspiration by the DT over at the Fusion challenge blog, and play along with your own creation! 

When playing along you may use the sketch OR the photo to inspire your makes. OR, if you are feeling adventurous, you can fuse them together (see what I did there!).

Can't wait to see your makes. 

Challenge ends on November 23rd

Cx

Books, Coffee and a Birthday Headband...

 

Hey,

Happy Friday!

It's been a bit less brutal at work this week, which is great and means the weekend will be way more fun.

The card I made today uses one of my fave Waffle Flower sets 'Books and Coffee', I fell in love with the Bear and the Birdie holding a teacup the first time I saw it!

This time I did a fun thing and added the 'headband' from the Flora & Fauna 'Love Bug Dress Up' set (another fave and retired). It's the kind of silly thing I would wear on my birthday (yes, I am 47 going on 4..)

I kept the whole card very simple, as I wanted to add a Lawn Fawn, scalloped, and stitched frame, so I didn't want the actual imagery to be too fussy.

I popped the frame up using foam tape and mounted the whole thing onto a 4bar kraft card base - yes he is pretty small only 3.5x4inches.

Have a great weekend, hope you are doing fun things.

Cx

CTD: Word...

Hey,

Happy Saturday!

I had a nice morning, leisurely stroll to the bagel shop with Hubby and then we sat on a bench, enjoying the sunshine and our bagels.

I loved the Color Throwdown colours this week -

I thought I'd use a Zebra for the black and white part of the swatch. I smooshed some Broken China distress oxide ink and picked it up with acetate to get a more precise smoosh onto my white panel. I added some black ink splatters, which sadly were not dry when I put my card together (sigh).

The white panel was die-cut using a stitched, dotted, scalloped rectangle die from The Works in London. The Zebra is ancient (circa 2016 and he was second-hand then..), he is from the Waffle Flower 'Monochrome' set and I really should attempt to buy the dies, as I hate fussy cutting so very much!

The sentiment is by Recollections from their 'Creative Chaos' set and I felt like my Zebra would totally be saying this LOL.

I'm pretty pleased with him - I really need to use this set more!

Cx

CASology: Plant..

Hey,

Well I think the team at CASology have a camera on my desk :)

I went to check the prompt for the current challenge and it just happened to be -

Both sets I used on my card were already on my desk! WEIRD!

I decided to add a bit of interest to my CAS card, by die-cutting the largest of the Lawn Fawn scalloped, stitched, rectangle window dies. I love these dies, they always add a bit of interest/drama to a card.

Before I added the frame to my card, I added a small amount of Twisted Citron distress ink to the x4 edges of my card. Then I stamped the awesome plant by Flora & Fauna from their 'mini plant lady' set and added the sentiment from the Waffle Flower 'Pretty Foliage' set.

Add the frame, a teeny bit of Sakura glitter gel pen and voila! easy peasy completed card.

I love the little glow you get from the addition of the distress ink, for me it really makes the card.

Cx

Retro Rubber #134.. Spring Flowers..

Hey,

Happy Cinco de Mayo (and Happy Birthday to my bestie Lemon).

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

This time it's all about Spring Flowers..

If you are anything like me, then you have a TON of flower stamps and this was quite hard for me to decide which ones to use LOL.

I decided to use the amazing Waffle Flower x Helen Dardik 'Enveloper Hugs' set. I love Helen Dardik's work and these stamps always make me smile. I have had this one since 2018.

I stamped and coloured the main image and x3 of the other flower images in the set. I used Altenew watercolour pens to colour the stamps. I die0cut all of the coloured stamps and layered them onto my stenciled cloud background (stencil by Dutchdoobadoo).

I created the sentiment by combining two of the Waffle Flower x Helen Dardik sets.

A really fun make that went to a good crafter friend for her birthday, as I knew she would appreciate it!

Show us your Spring Flower makes and pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends May 15th.

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

Masking Flower Thanks...

Hey,

I am trying to use the lockdown period to post cards that have been sitting in my 'to be blogged' folder for a LONG time.

This card is 18months old!!

I love Helen Dardik and I was so excited when she released a stamp collection with Waffle Flower. I think I have most of it now..but I am always on the hunt for the missing pieces :)

This card was one of a series I made, using the Helen Dardik stamps and a mix of Simon Says Stamp and MFT flower stamps.

First I created a circle mask and stamped the main girl image (Enveloper Birthday), then I masked off the girl and stamped the sentiment. Cue much more masking so I could stamp all the flowers.

I coloured everything and them die-cut it as a circle.

It looks so pretty on the square card blank.

This is a time consuming but a fun technique that I use a lot to stretch my stamps.

Cx

Birthday Calories..

Hey,

Welcome to December!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. Hubby and I had a very chilled one, it was lovely. I am sure I did far too much BF sale shopping, but hey that's what I work for right!?

As I have now completed x2 different 30 day challenges in tandem, I can resume normal blog duties.. It's been quite a busy month, more about that in another post.

Today I wanted to use one of the (never seen before) cards from the 30 day colouring challenge as my entry to the current Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge -

My card uses the awesome sentiment from the CAS-ual Fridays 'Whole Shebang' set. I combined it with the various ice-creams and lollies that I had coloured - they are from the Waffle Flower 'Sweet Ice Cream' set.

I had originally planned to colour the Waffle Flower set for the whole 30 days, but to be frank 15 days in I got bored! So I have actually made 15 cards from this set - to be shown in another post.

This one I kept super simple with just a subtle background ink blending to make the ice-creams pop. But I really wanted the sentiment to shine.

I'm off now to watch NFL ALL DAY LONG - whoop!

Cx

CAS(e) This Sketch: Cheers...

Hey,

So I was really happy to have made the favourite's list over at CAS(e) This Sketch last week.

I was going to play along with this week's sketch anyway, but then the sketch featured a hexagon (swoon).

For some reason I LOVE hexagon's, I have no idea why, I just do.

So I broke out my fave Spellbinders nesting hexagon die set and went to work :)

I had an idea, as the 'Cheers' die by Winnie & Walter, was sitting on my desk. So I die-cut two hexagons in black and purple cardstock and die-cut the cheers out of a scrap of Lawn Fawn plaid paper.

I bought the Waffle Flower 'Currently Drinking' set on a whim 2 years ago, as I thought it would be handy and honestly it is one of the most used things in my craftroom.

I used x3 of the stamps from the set to create a little background on my purple hexagon.

I affixed the black one to the card blank and popped up the purple one and the cheers.

To finish it off I added some adhesive green pearls.

Fun card, suitable I think for both men and women.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #120.. Anything Goes..

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have everyone's fave this time - Anything Goes!!

Everyone loves Anything Goes! I especially love these challenges, I get to really root through my stamps and find something old and neglected that I can do anything I want to with it.

I chose a combo of stamp sets, that I have had since 2017. The giant sentiments are by Waffle Flower 'Eat Cake' and the cupcakes are by Hampton Arts 'Cupcake'.

I die-cut a white panel and then stamped and heat embossed the sentiment using my all-time fave embossing powder 'Liquid Platinum' by Ranger / Tim Holtz. I stamped and embossed the cupcake in the same powder and then die-cut it out.

I coloured the heart on the cupcake using a Spectrum Noir sparkle pen for a teeny bit of shimmer.

LOVE the outcome. I so rarely make cards with so little colour, so I am feeling pretty pleased about stepping out of my comfort zone.

It's my birthday on Saturday! And my Goddaughter arrives on Thurs from London to spend the weekend partying with me.. let's hope she can keep up ;)

Can't wait to see all your Anything Goes makes. 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.. #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

Retro Rubber Challenge #112... Buttons and Bows...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we are looking for buttons or bows on your card.

The minute I saw this theme, I knew which sets I would be pulling out of the archives ;)

First I created the background, by blending x2 shades of blue distress ink through a fave Andy Skinner bubbles stencil.

I stamped, coloured and die-cut the shoes from the Waffle Flower First Step set (I've had it since 2016). I decided it would be fun to use spotty papers for the bows, so I stamped one of the bows from the set on a spotty scrap and die-cut them out.

I added the shoes to the background panel and die-cut the entire panel using a stitched rectangle die.

I stamped the sentiment from The Ton Shoe Wardrobe (I've had this since 2017), I thought it suited the shoes perfectly.

Great use of two stamp sets that have been really neglected.

Show us your interpretation of the theme 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

Sketch Saturday #564 Star Stampz..

Hey,

Happy Saturday to you and welcome to the latest sketch for the Sketch Saturday challenge.

Our sponsor this week is Star Stampz and they are offering a prize of 1 digital stamp from their store.

Here's the sketch...

I thought this stamp (Balloons and Ice Cream) was so cute and would work well with the sketch.

I printed and coloured the stamp using Copics. I die-cut it to size using a stitched rectangle die and used scrap papers from my stash to create the background to match the sketch.

I chose the sentiment because with balloons and ice cream how can life NOT be beautiful?

I hunted high and low for my photo corners punch, but couldn't find it, so created fancy corners using bling instead..I think I like that way better :)

I can't wait to see what you do with the sketch, but first check out what the rest of the DT have made over at Sketch Saturday.

Challenge ends May 24th 7pm GMT / 2pm EST

Cx

Colourful Challenge Combo part two..

Hey,

Happy Friday.

I will be glad to see the back of this week, having been so unwell..

I stumbled across another great challenge this week that involves colours, so I decided to play along and combine it with the current CASology challenge for a second entry.

AAA Cards do CAS challenges with a twist. This week this is what they have -

I love the idea of using just 1/3 of the card front to create a fun card.

I decided that I wanted to use repeat stamping to create a bold mini pattern. I used a coffee mug from the Pink Fresh Studio 'Itty Bitty Elements' set - a fave for creating backgrounds.

I coloured it in bright colours using Copics and added a simple sentiment by Waffle Flower from their 'Books and Coffee' set.

I die-cut the white panel using a stitched rectangle die and mounted it onto my card blank.

I love the simple feel of this, it will be great to accompany a gift card!

Cx

CASology: Mother..

Hey,

Happy Saturday to you!

I had a packed day off yesterday, doing all the fun things - gym, lunch, casino, GOT marathon and crafting.

I wanted to play along with the current CASology cue card -

It is Mother's Day here in the US tomorrow, but we have already had Mother's Day in Europe, so I thought that I would make a more generic card for my Momma.

I bought this amazingly glittery cardstock by DCWV when I was in London last month. I have never seen anything so glittery in my life! I die-cut a green (my Momma loves this colour) piece of it using a new to me die by Waffle Flower (Doily Square) - it came as part of a grab box that I bought from Cheiron.

I have a large stash of already die-cut letters from all of my letter dies - basically, when I was off sick in 2017 for 2 months I die-cut all of my letter dies LOL! So I fished out matching black ones by Tim Holtz that spell out 'Momma' and painstakingly added foam tape to them, so they would pop up.

Final touch was the sentiment banner by Mama Elephant (Occasional Labels).

I am really pleased with this card and I think my Momma will love it too.

Cx