Retro Rubber Challenge #199 - Tickled Pink!

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

It was fun to see so many people in the gallery for the last challenge. I hope you will love this one too. This time we have a colour challenge for you.

I went with pink, white, and silver (I am using creative license here with my grey cat counting as silver).

This is one of my fave stamp sets - 'Pawsome Love' by Simon Says Stamp, I have had it since 2020. It has a great range of sentiments and critters. I really like the Palentine's Day idea, as I love to send Valentine's cards to my girlfriends.

I got all fancy and created my OWN folding banner using an ancient MFT banner die.. I have always felt the banners are too long and finally learned to fold my own!

Which colour combo will you use? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber, and get inspired by the things the DT has made.

Challenge ends on February 10th.

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

Halloween becomes Valentine's...

 

Hey,

I am not a big 'Valentine's Day' fan - I can tell Hubby that I love him every day!

BUT I do love all the pretty VDay cards that I receive and can make. It's actually one of my fave occasions because it's just all so pretty.

I made quite a lot of cards this year (33 for work + personal ones) but the ones in this post were all made using non-Valentine or Love supplies!

The first two cards use a great Halloween stamp set by Hero Arts called 'Pure Magic' I got it on sale because I thought it would make great backgrounds, but it also made super cute VDay cards.

The background is an MFT stamp, that is new to me from a BIG second-hand haul I got recently, more about that soon.

Sadly the next card is a bit blurry! But I wanted to share it anyway, as the fun Dino is actually another Halloween stamp! This time by Ellen Hutson 'Dino-mite Halloween'. The cute Dino's paws/claws/hands? actually have little slits to hold the smaller stamps that come with the set, but I added a heart instead.

The background is one of my all-time fave stencils by MFT.

I love it when I get to stretch my stamps and it's always good to remind myself that things don't have to be used for their intended purpose.

Cx

Fusion Card Challenge - Valentine Gnome

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Fusion Card Challenge.

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

Which will you try? I fused them!

As I have previously mentioned I am not a Gnome fan, but I was rummaging around and found this little set that I had totally forgotten about! Perfect for a little scene with all the little elements in the set. 

I stamped the background, it's a teeny bit patchy, but I kind of like that about it!

I used -

Memory Box - Love Grows stamps & dies

Concord & 9 - Gingham background 

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 16th.

Cx

The Paper Players: Love you pig time..

Hey,

This weekend I had fun creating Valentine's cards for a few of my girlfriends.

I saw the Paper Players challenge this week and thought my card(s) would be perfect.

I love making Valentine's cards and if I wasn't leaving for London on Friday, I would have made more than 8 of them!

I bought the cute little Pig set last year in the post Valentine's Michael's sale and this is the first time he has been inked (I wanted to write oinked..) up.

I stamped, coloured and cut 6 of the Pigs and the coordinating sentiment, which had it's own die - WIN. I dug out some random small square card blanks and used that as a template for which size heart die I would use.

The heart die is pretty new, I bought it at the end of December when I was in London, I just loved all the details - stitched, scalloped and dotted - swoon.

I wanted these cards to be super quick makes and so I grabbed an ancient 4x4 paper pad and just choose 6 papers I liked!

They came together so easily and I love how silly they are!

I think Valentine's Day is silly, love is a 365 day a year thing and we shouldn't celebrate our love for our partners, friends, family on just one day, we should remember that life is very short and we should celebrate love every day. It sounds silly, but I tell my Hubby every single day that I love him, even when I want to murder him.
All of this said, I still love the card making part of Valentine's Day - silly, overblown declarations of love and that is partly why I love being a card maker, for the silly moments in life.

Cx

Happy Valentine's Day...

Hey,

I normally do a Valentine's Day card series, but this year because I have been sick and super busy at work, I just didn't find the time to get the posts ready.

Hubby and I are not into celebrating Valentine's Day, but I do love making the cards, so I send them to my girlfriends.

Every year I make Hubby a pun-tastic card, because he is not a fan of the punny cards, I always get an eye roll from him when I make them.

I bought the awesome Newton's Nook 'Pina Koala' stamp because I knew that Hubby would be all 'why?' hahahaha.

I printed out part of the sentiment, leaving a gap for the Pina Koala stamp. I stamped the cute Koala and then die-cut the whole panel using a Lil Inkers die. 

I mounted the white panel onto a Lawn Fawn cardblank.

Fun right?

Hubby and I are en-route to Tampa as this posts, 5 glorious days of sunshine and RR.

Cx

p.s I did make 10 VDay cards for my girls, but didn't photograph them..

Happy Valentine's Day...

Hey,

So Hubby and I don't really do Valentine's Day, I make him a card. He makes me a hideous card. The end.

But I love making Valentine's cards..so for the last few years I have been making 20 cards to send to my girl posse.

The main card is the one I made for Hubby. I could not resist the stamp set from Recollections at Michaels AND it was on super bargain sale and the silly pun made me LOL in the store.

I am super pleased with my Avocado colouring..not something I had ever thought I need to master, but I guess that is the joy of making things, new, weird things become necessary!

I stenciled some hearts onto a tag using Picked Raspberry distress ink, then I spritzed it with water to get the patchy effect you see, it looks better IRL. I added some foam tape to my die-cut Avocado's and voila! finished card.

I made two different batches of cards for the girls.

I am still cracking myself up about these cards. I had wanted the 'your boobs look awesome' stamp by Unity Stamp Co. for AGES and it finally went on sale..so it had to be done.

However when I sat down to make the idea I originally had, it didn't work as the stamp is actually quite large. So I went with my default creative solution..add a monster!

The Valentine's stickers are very old and are Pink Fresh Studio and they came in a SSS cardkit (let's not talk about me on my hands and knees under my desk, looking for the right kit in the dark at 10pm when I remembered about them..)

I made 14 of the ones above and the final 6 cards were my original Valentine's plan (before the boob stamp came into my life).

As this is the year for me to use my vast patterned paper stash, I went through it all and pulled out as many Valentinesy papers as I could find. I die-cut them with the awesome wonky stitched dies by Lil Inkers and then I put the offcuts in the recycling bin..NO MORE SCRAPS.

I stamped and die-cut the Cactus by Jillibean Soup and stamped the 'free hugs' sentiment that came with the set. I added the Valentine's stickers here too and there are still some left!!

A fun assortment of Valentine's cards for my people..

Always nice to share the love.

Cx

The Paper Players: I've taken a Viking to you...

Hey,

So as I am off, it's a great time to get involved with some challenges, so I have a few posts coming up where I am playing along with some.

Today I am playing along with The Paper Players challenge -

Punny Valentine did you say?! This is SO me.

I went with a firm fave my Avery Elle 'Viking' set, I love this cute little fella. I also went with a fave Valentine background technique that I love and overuse.

I stamped hearts from the Clearly Besotted 'With all your Heart' set and heat embossed them using white powder. Then I took my new giant dauber and some Distress Oxide Picked Raspberry and went over the hearts, so you get the resist background you see on my card.

It came out so well here and I love the CB set with all the different hearts.

Fun challenge, I wish there was more time so I could play again!

Cx

CAS Mix-up: Corrugated Heart...

Hey,

Happy Monday.

My first day back at work!!

So I said that I would probably play along again with the February CAS Mix-up challenge

This is my second entry and I used the same old DCVW corrugated card in grey.

I die-cut a heart from the corrugated card and from a piece of velum. I matched them up, so the vellum piece is slightly higher and just peeks out.

The background splatter I stamped using a great Concord & 9th stamp (Lace Leaf).

I die-cut the Love You from a Simon Says Stamp die set and before I stapled them in place, I glued the letters together so they were slightly wonky.

I put the heart and the sentiment together before mounting it over the splatter. For a bit more stand-out I added black enamel accents dots.

Again a pretty CAS card and covers off the main two requirements, the your choice elements are die-cutting, splatter and vellum.

I am seriously considering playing again....I am loving working with the corrugated card.

Cx

Valentine's Day Card Frenzy....

Hey,

Happy Valentine's Day.

A rare second post for me.

I love to make Valentine's cards..even though I think VDay is a nonsense, I can say I love you all year round!

The main photo today shows all the cards I made, most are sets of 4. I wanted to send cards to all the lovely people that have helped me get back on my feet and stay positive following my surgery and the subsequent complication.

I used so many different products by great companies, it was a lot of fun to dig through my stash. The writing out was tedious though...I always forget about that part LOL.

Here are a few of them close-up.

Constellation, using an idea by Debby Hughes, stamps by Simon Says Stamp, Hero Arts and Clearly Besotted

Monster-ous Valentines, using stamps by Your Next Stamp and Simon Says Stamp and adhesive googly eyes and a lot of masking for the sentiment. Thank god for the Misti.

Viking Valentine's, using Avery Elle Stamps and Lil Inker and Spellbinder dies

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #56...Birthday...

Hey,

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Time for another fun challenge with the Retro Rubber team.

This time we have a theme for you..

Birthday, everyone's fave..

I decided it was time to break out an old (slightly neglected) fave by Avery Elle 'Hipster-Potamus' I have had this set since 2014 and I use to over use it.

I thought I'd use creative license and make my Hippo a pale Lilac..no idea why, just felt like it.

I stamped the Birdie from the set on his back and added glasses too, then fussy cut it all out.

The background paper is a recent addition to my stash from Pink Fresh Studio, I bought a grab box and got a ton of stuff.

The quirky borders were die-cut using Sizzix border dies that JT bought me, I thought if I affixed them with staples it would be more fun. The fact that the borders overhang is a happy accident..I was planning on cutting them down, but I like them like this way better.

The sentiment is also from the set and I stamped it on white paper first and placed it all over my card, trying to work out where I liked it best..this is a new trick of mine so I don't make a mistake..

Your turn to show us your Birthday inspired makes. Make sure you go over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things my teammates have made..

Challenge ends February 24th. 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

Just us girls...Puppy Love..

Hey,

So as I get back on my feet, I am spending time at my desk and this week I am playing along with various challenges to help inspire me.

My friend Jen played along with Just Us Girls this week and I loved her card and the inspiration word, so thought I would join in too...

As I am in the midst of making Valentine's cards for my people..I thought this was the perfect time to play with a new Recollections Valentine's set called Puppy Love.

I die-cut a piece of Pink Fresh Studio heart paper for my background.

I stamped the Puppy, the sentiment and the hearts from the set, coloured it and die-cut it out using a Simon Says Stamp stitched circle.

I mounted the circle onto the card using foam tape.

I love how this came out, more puppy love cards for me!!!

Cx

The Paper Players: Unusual Valentine....

Hey,

Happy Monday to you.

I am slowly getting back to full strength. I should have been back at work today, but I had a complication that set me back a week or two..

Anyway, enough of that!

I am in the midst of making Valentine's cards. I only really need to make one, but I like to send them to my little posse..

I haven't played along with The Paper Players in a while and thought this would be a great opportunity as their theme this week fits what I am up to -

I love making slightly off the wall Valentine's Day cards and these are quite out there..because the fishes are so ugly and not very Valentinesy (totally a word), but they made me giggle and worked out well.

The stamps are by Avery Elle and I stamped, coloured them with Zigs and die-cut them. I die-cut the white panel using MFT wonky stitched dies and I then stenciled on the spots for a slight sea effect.

Once I had my fishes in place, I added some hearts and the sentiment - both by Simon Says Stamp.

Here is the other one that I made -

Every time I see them they make me smile, they are quite weird, but I think my friends will love them.

Cx

Kitty Love...

Hey,

Happy Friday.

I have been a bit absent, due to a complication with my surgery. I am good, but it's set me back a bit.

I thought I would share this super simple card I made a while ago using a Unity Stamp Co stamp..so cute..the whole thing is one stamp.

I can't decide whether to use it for a Valentine's card or for an Anniversary card?

Cx

Valentine's Day Card Series - Day Five - Happy Valentine's Day..

Hey,

Happy Valentine's Day.

So today is the end, I hope if you celebrate you are having a good time with your special person. 

Hubby and I celebrate being together all the time, so today we will be slobbing around eating and listening to music, whilst recovering from whatever mischief we got into last night..

So yesterday I told you that JT and I set a challenge to make each other the most hideous, OTT card possible.

Here's my first attempt -  

Busy? Sure. Hideous? Not quite.

So I started again. The main photo today is the front of the card - nice and simple, seems like it's going to be lovely inside...

Nope..you get a busy paper, with a busy die-cut border, a stamped sentiment or two..and a pop-up monster that is winking at you! LOL. Now this is hideous.

Here's a close-up of the pop-up Monster

I had so much fun making these cards and I learnt how to create pop-ups in a card.

Wish I had given the Monster a googly eye...

Hope you have had a fun five days looking at all my Valentine's efforts.

Cx

Valentine's Day Card Series - Day Four...

Hey,

Hope you are having a good weekend so far.

Hubby and I are running errands, as we leave for our holiday / wedding / work trip next Friday.

Today I have two more cards for you in my five day Valentine's Day card series.

The main card uses a stamp that I have had forever! I They are by Stampendous and I have hardly used them. The set is all about geeks!

I thought the card should be simple and less red and pink..it is for a boy after all.

The next card uses another one of the on sale stamps I got at Michaels.

I had originally planned to stamp in the heart space..but I decided that the Tim Holtz stickers worked better.

Again, keeping it simple by just mounting the piece onto a card blank.

I'm sad that Valentine's Day is here tomorrow, now I have to stop making all these cards..it's been fun playing in my stash and stretching things a bit.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing the odious cards I made for JT.

We challenged each other to make the most over the top, hideous cards we could. I failed a bit, so made a second one. That worked card number two is horrid.

Seems a bit wrong right? Using our 'good' skills to make something bad..but sometimes that is fun and harder!

Cx

Valentine's Day Card Series - Day Three

Hey,

Happy Friday.

Another batch of Valentine's Day cards for you today, continuing the five day series.

The headline card today was made using a stamp from the Feb 2015 Simon Says Cardkit and papers from my stash.

I thought the stamp would heat emboss really well onto the bright pink panel.

I like the simplicity of it.

The next card is another silly one and I actually use the sentiment to make birthday cards sometimes.

The stamps are all by Lawn Fawn, I also made some cards using the Monsters and the 'You're weird I like that stamp' but stupidly forgot to photograph them before they left for their new owners..

Hope you have a great weekend, join me tomorrow for more Valentine's cards and on Sunday for the reveal of the cards that I made for JT, that are odious...more about that tomorrow.

Cx

Valentine's Day Card Series - Day Two..

Hey,

Today I am continuing on with my series of Valentine's Day cards..

Today's are all a bit out there...

Starting with the headliner, that uses a great sentiment stamp by Unity Stamp Co, I bought it because I thought it would come in handy. I combined it with the Lawn Fawn Yeti stamp - that I adore! I decided to go with a non-Valentine themed paper, makes it a bit more masculine.

I love it, it's fun and silly!

The next card is pun-tastic..

I have been after this stamp (Viking by Avery Elle) since it came out..it took ages for it to come back into stock and the dies have only just arrived..so more playtime with this one to come..I have an idea..

I love it, it is totally silly. Great fun to colour and the hearts come with the set.

Continuing on with the theme of silly - can anyone explain what a Love Bandit is?! LOL.

The paper is from the Feb Simon Says Stamp cardkit. The stamps are by Recollections at Michael's and all their Valentine's stuff was 50-60% off..so at those prices it was rude not to buy a few things. I blame JT as I went there to purchase part of her bday gift.

I love making Valentine's cards, especially the silly ones..so much freedom.

More Valentine's cards tomorrow.

Cx

WOYWW #349..Valentine's Day Series..

Hey,

Happy WOYWW.

So much fun to play along last week and be back again :)

If you don't know what WOYWW is, go here and learn about all the fun we have with Julia and our desk buddies every Weds.

This post is the start of my five day Valentine's Day card series..

Before that what can you see on my desk? Under my main computer is work related Apple items (ugh, we are a resolutely PC/Android household aka geeks), the big black thing is my bluetooth speaker - a gift from Hubby a couple of Christmasses ago, on my cutting mat is a semi-finished card for a friend - stamp by KennyK, I am practicing skin tones, a sheet of paper that I use as the backdrop for my photos and my glasses (current fave's Tom Ford knock-off).

I love making Valentine's Day cards..I don't get all the fuss - I love you, should be 365 days a year..

Despite this I made so many cards, that I thought I'd just show them all over the next five days..

These two cards both use stamps and stickers from the February Simon Says Stamp cardkit.

Distress ink resist

Giant sticker by Crate Paper - love this!

That's all from me, come visit over the next 5 days to see the rest of the cards :)

I am looking forward to a WOYWW nosy later on today.

Cx

Retro Rubber #31 Colour Challenge..

Hey,

Welcome to another fab Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a colour challenge for you - 

As it is close to Valentine's Day, I thought I'd use the colours to make a VDay card.

I die-cut a white square using a Simon Says Stamp square stitched die and then I used an ancient (approx 5 years old) Studio G falling heart stamp in red and pink and stamped it several times onto the square.

I really love the sentiment by Simon Says Stamp and is part of the Paper Hug set - it's just over a year old and I thought it would look great heat embossed in white on vellum.

I attached it to the heart panel using mini staples and then mounted the whole thing onto a square card blank.

Your turn to show us your creations, remember to use a stamp over a year and make sure you tell us how old it is. Challenge ends on February 12th.

Make sure you  go over to Retro Rubber  and get inspired by the rest of my fabulous teammates.

Cx

Welcome to March...

Hey,

The year seems to be whipping by!! March already?!

I have been feeling a bit stressed, so this weekend, I have been spending as much time as I can at my desk, which is lovely and I am also off to a 2 hour yoga marathon later on today..bliss.

Today, I wanted to share the Valentine's Day card I made for my President at work to give to his wife..

It was his request for it to be 50 shades-esque on the outside and smushy on the inside. Terry always comes up with some crazy briefs for me. This one I was a bit skeptical about, but he was right and it totally worked out.

I put the front image together on my computer using 2 individual images. I enlarged the handcuffs and cropped them off for a bit more drama.

I love the font, I spent about 2hrs on Font Squirrel, trying different ones until I finally went with Freebooter Script. I love fonts..

The inside cracked me up, it's so different from the outside..

Once again, the image was put together on my computer, same font and a pretty heart image.

I believe it was well received, so brief fulfilled..

Cx