AAA Cards #23 (Watercolours), Virginia’s View #8 (CAS), Keep It Simple #50 (Three), SSS Wednesday 8/10 (Watercolour), Just Us Girls #262 (Ombré)

As with many of us, there are times when it’s not possible for me to get to my Feedly list (or respond to comments) every day … sometimes for a few days … and that happened this week.  Today, I spent some happy time visiting, viewing, enjoying, being inspired by and commenting on lots and lots of wonderful cards and blogposts.  There wasn’t much leeway left for creating … in fact none at all … so I thought I’d share with you a card I made (and loved!) a little while ago.  One of you has seen it … and has it … but it’ll be something new for everyone else …

I smooshed some Memento inks onto my craft mat and used them to watercolour a panel of white card.  Once it was dry, the Clearly Besotted blooms and the Avery Elle sentiment were stamped over the top with Brilliance Starlight Black … giving just a touch of shimmer.  The panel was popped up on foam dots and adhered to the base card.

I’m playing along with …

AAA Cards – Watercolours (squeezing in just as the door closes)

Virginia’s View – CAS (my second entry)

Keep It Simple – Three (the blooms)

SSS Wednesday – Use Watercolours

ETA:  Just Us Girls – Ombré (my first time!)  Thanks to Sandie and Anita for the suggestion!

I have another couple of days of catch up blog browsing to enjoy from Feedly, and plenty of replying to comments to do too.  Thanks for bearing with me as I do … see you later … or perhaps tomorrow morning!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

         

                   

Virginia’s View #8 (CAS), Waltzingmouse Fanatics #28 (Anything Goes), Keep It Simple #50 (Three)

Thanks so, so much for your lovely, uplifting and heart warming comments on my Getting To Know You Blog Hop post … they had me smiling all over my face :).  You may have noticed there was a bit of a glaring gap in it … I didn’t put in any photo’s of my own cards, or links to them (goodness only knows where my brain was)!  It’s thanks to the delightful Darnell, who spotted it, that I’ve now filled said gap and added some of my own card highlights to the post … and if you’d like to see them, they’re here.  So, onto today’s card, which is the one I mentioned on Monday …

The Waltzing Mouse Simple Sprig leaves were inked up with two colours … teal zeal and tide pool … on their own, one was too dark and one was too light … in between was just right (to paraphrase Goldilocks).  I did a little selective masking to add a third sprig (far left), stamped the flowers and die cut them with MFT circles.  The flowers were treated to sparkle and shine courtesy of Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents (yep, yesterdays fave products!) and were popped up on foam dots.  I stamped the WPlus9 sentiment in chocolate (which also had a coat of WOS) and added a sprinkling of bling.  Here’s a close up so you can see the shimmer …

I took Kimberly’s Muse card (here) as inspiration for my card … but missed playing along by oh, about three days!  I am, however, in plenty of time for these challenges …

Virginia’s View – Clean and Simple

Waltzingmouse Fanatics – Anything Goes

Keep It Simple – Three (sprigs and words)

Looking forward to an inspiring wander around the blogosphere over the next couple of days … thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

         

Muse #82 (Bobby), Keep It Simple #47 (Ombré), Simply Create Too #69 (Show Us Something New), SSS Wednesday 27/8 (Anything Goes)

Goodness, it’s seems ages since I was here … well, I suppose it is really, certainly over a week!  So happy to have been able to stop off at my craft desk tonight … and spend just a little longer than fleeting moments playing with paper and ink.  I made a card and a half … sharing the whole one here (duh!) … and for the first time in a century or two, there’s almost no white on it (comfort zone warning lights going off) …            

I was inspired by Bobby‘s stunning card at Muse, which has black ‘white space’ … see below and be prepared to be wowed!  Bobby stencilled that gorgeous pattern … isn’t it amazing?  Not being in possession of a suitable stencil and embossing paste, however, nor enough black card for a card base (what?), I struggled a little.  Tonight, I found this …

yep, swirly, bobbly vellum … that did the trick.  I cut a panel and coloured the back with alcohol markers to create ombré swirls.  The front was brushed with Perfect Pearls to give the bobbles a little more pzazz and the panel was attached to a white card base.  I die cut the Studio Calico thanks, adhered it to the vellum and gave it a lick of Wink of Stella.  The two slim black strips (also WoS’d) and bling finished it off.  It’s not quite as CAS as I envisaged when I started (and certainly not as CAS as Bobby’s card) … it’s the lack of white ‘white space’ … which is something that ‘hardly hever appens’ (Eliza Doolittle, My Fair Lady) on my cards.

Nevertheless, I’m playing along with …

Muse – Bobby‘s card is below

Keep It Simple – Ombré

Simply Create Too – Something New (Studio Calico thanks die)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

If I get the second half of the other card finished, I’ll be back tomorrow … for now I’m off for a quick meander around blogland before bed.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

Bobby’s Card

           

        

A Blog Named Hero #47 (Colour It In), Keep it Simple #43 (Lots of Turquoise), SSS Monday 30/6 (W Is For White)

My third (what?) and final post for the day … a touch of graphic …

The diagonal panel is a section of a Hero Arts die cut panel.  I cut it in white, and took all the different elements and coloured them in separately.  The panel was attached to a piece of copy paper covered with double sided tape, the coloured triangles were randomly slotted into place and the completed panel was popped up on the card base.  I finished off with a Papertrey Ink sentiment, a single gem and lots of Wink of Stella on each triangle (that you might be able to see if you click on the photo!).

This card’s destined for …

A Blog Named Hero – Colour It In (panel and triangles)

Keep It Simple – Lots of Turquoise (lots on the diagonal panel!)

SSS Monday – W Is For White

That’s it from me for the weekend … have a great week ahead.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

         

CASology #102 (Float), Keep It Simple #43 (Lots Of Turquoise), Waltzingmouse Fanatics #21 (Anything Goes), SSS Monday 30/6 (W Is For White)

Here’s the first of the two cards I mentioned earlier …

I took a panel of textured cardstock, sponged it with Distress Inks, splattered it with water drops (and droplets!) and let it dry.  It was then stamped and white embossed with Walzingmouse Funky Feathers … and I elongated the quills at the bottom with a white gel pen so they would cross.  The Avery Elle sentiment was also stamped and white embossed over the edges of the panel, I added a couple of sequins and popped the panel up on the card base.

I’m linking this card up to …

CASology – Float (feathers float in the air … and the panel is ‘floating’ on the base!)

Keep It Simple – Lots of Turquoise (errrmmm … yes??)

Waltzingmouse Fanatics – Anything Goes (do check out this challenge run by Tara and Deborah … a perfect reason to dig out your WM Stamps!)

SSS Monday – W Is For White (feathers, sentiment, base)

Hope you’ve had/are having a wonderful (long … for my friends in the USA) weekend!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

              

Keep It Simple #41 (Bookmarks), A Blog Named Hero #45 (It’s Not In The Cards), Virginia’s View #4 (Tags and Scraplings), SSS Wednesday 4/6 (Fathers’ Day/Masculine)

Who would’ve thought that the challenge stars would come together for a project like this …

… a masculine, scrapling bookmark!  I masked off a section of my bookmark for the sentiment, stamped the Hero Arts background in grey and coloured in the open chevrons with Promarkers.  The sentiment was double stamped, once in Navy and once with Versamark (thank you stampamajig!), and clear embossed.  The yellow circles were Wink of Stella’d and coated with Glossy Accents … IRL life there’s just a hint of blob … not too much or it would wrinkle the book pages it’s going to be marking!  I punched a hole in the top and added a twine tassle … the twine was originally wrapped round some crafty goodies the postie brought.  Voila, a bookmark to fold over the top of a page … that way it can’t slide out … soooo much more secure than a flat one … and soooo much more space to write a message!

I’m joining in with these challenges:

Keep It Simple – Bookmarks

A Blog Named Hero – It’s Not In The Cards (my second ‘anything but a card’ )

Virginia’s View – Tags and Scraplings including a recycled item (the twine)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Fathers’ Day/Masculine

I have a few more cards from my crafty day yesterday … they’ll be posted during the week … for now, there’s some meandering to be done round blogland!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

           

Less is More #170 (Three Colours/Shades), A Blog Named Hero #43 (Inspired By A Hero Artist), Keep It Simple #39 (Watercolour), Moxie Fab World (Hip on Handwriting)

After my last sunshiny card, I’m sticking with shades of yellow …

I’m playing at Less is More where we have a colour challenge … use three colours or use three shades of one colour … I went with the latter.  At A Blog Named Hero, we’re being Inspired By A Hero Artist … I chose the awesome Jennifer McGuire and did a simplified version of these cards done with the HA Tiny Flags background stamp.   As I used water colouring, I’m joining in at Keep It Simple and because there’s a scripty part to the sentiment, I’m linking up again at Moxie Fab World’s Hip on Handwriting challenge.

I stamped and clear embossed the background onto a water colour card panel, squished some HA Butter Bar, Memento Dandelion and Squeezed Lemonade DI onto my craft mat, and did a colour wash over the flags, merging the shades from dark to light.  Whilst the panel was drying, the Papertrey sentiment was stamped (in two steps), overstamped in Versamark and clear embossed on the base card.  I split the water colour panel, popped it up on foam dots on the base above and below the sentiment, and added a scattering of sequins.

It’s about time to get dinner sorted … back later for an inspiring wander through all the galleries for these challenges!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

           

Happy Birthday, Cornelia! Keep It Simple #38 (Bright Spark), Stamplorations – April (Stamping and Favorite Technique), SSS Wednesday 24/4 (Keep It CAS)

I heard through the bloggy grapevine that my friend Cornelia, from Fun Stamping had a birthday recently … but that she was on vacation at the time.  Those of you who know Cornelia will already be taken with her fabulous cards … if you haven’t been for a visit already, go … take supplies … there’s so much to see and be inspired by!   So, whilst it’s rather late, Cornelia, this is for you … to wish you a very happy birthday and a year full of fun and joy …

I’m also popping this in at Keep It Simple, where there a Bright Spark theme … colours or shimmer.  This card has both but you can’t see the shimmer much in the photo … and as it’s already in the mail I can’t take another picture, so I’m hoping you’ll imagine it!  At Stamplorations, we’ve to use our favorite technique and stamping … oh joy, I love stamping with graphic shapes!  Finally, I’m squeezing in as the door closes at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday‘s Keep It Clean and Simple week.

I stamped the Avery Elle long triangle down each side of a white card panel, trimmed it to size and added a strip of black across the top.  It way sprayed liberally with Sheer Shimmer Spritz and was popped up on foam dots on the card base.  The sentiment’s from SSS and the legless brads are adorned with shimmery Wink of Stella.

Looking forward to coming back a little later to have a meander around everyone’s inspiring creations!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

         

Fusion #8 (Colourful Chevrons), Moxie Fab World (Hip On Handwriting), A Blog Named Hero #42 (Layer Cake), Keep It Simple #38 (Bright Spark), SSS Monday 21/4 (Big Stamp)

I’ve had a bit of a card making fest today, so I apologise in advance … there’ll be a few posts appearing this afternoon and evening.  I’ll keep it all as CAS as possible (!) … here’s the first …

I was inspired here by the photo at Fusion … coloured, chevron patterned paper straws (see below).  As I used a big Hero Arts stamp for the background, I’m also playing along with A Blog Named Hero’s Layer Cake (second time) and Simon Says Stamp Monday‘s Big Stamp week.  The shimmery die cut hello fits nicely into Moxie Fab World’s Hip on Handwriting challenge and lastly, I’m joining in with Keep It Simple‘s Bright Spark theme.

I stamped the HA background in Versamark on a white card panel and clear embossed it.   Actually, I stamped it twice because the first time I didn’t press down hard enough to transfer the ink … and when I did it a second time, the pattern wasn’t quite matched up (ever tried to do that with a big solid background stamp?  Yikes!).  When it was embossed, though, I quite liked the pattern, so I used it!  The rainbow of inks were sponged over the chevrons and the panel was trimmed to size.  I die cut the ‘hello’ four times in black, adhered them all together, clear embossed them and added a liberal coat of Wink of Stella.  I cut the same hello out of the card panel, adhered the panel to the card base and slotted the dimensional word into place.  Strips of black card top and bottom were the finishing touches … and I still have a multicoloured hello to use somewhere else!

I’m off to link up … and I’ll be back!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

       

       

CASology #80 (Purple), Keep it Simple #32 (Square), Annabelle Stamps #175 (Sketch)

This is my first post for a fortnight … life just took on a … um, well … life of it’s own … and meant that card making and blogging needed to take a back seat.  I’ve been doing my very best to keep up with goings on in the blogosphere, but haven’t been as frequent a visitor and commenter as usual.  Sorry.  Looking forward to resuming normal service (me … normal … hahahahaha!)  with this …

So, can you guess it’s for CASology‘s Purple Cue Card??  I was also inspired by Keep It Simple‘s Square challenge and by the sketch at Annabelle Stamps this month.  Just so as you know upfront, I’m not a great purple person … I appreciate what others do with it, but it’s not really a colour I reach for much … hence the challenge of it all.

Here, there’s a bit of experimentation going on … a colour washed background panel and the Annabelle flower silhouettes stamped numerous times in three different colours to see what that would do for perspective.   The panel’s popped up on a square of purple vellum (why that’s in my stash I don’t know) that’s adhered to the card base and the Annabelle sentiment’s stamped with Memento’s Grape Jelly.  It was going to be ‘dressed’ … however, after exhaustive test runs with gems, twine, pearls, sequins and every other small embellishment imaginable, that idea was abandoned … the sihouette panel was left to take the limelight … and I passed a loooooong time putting everything away again.

Thanks so much to everyone who visited and left me a comment on my last card … it warmed my heart!  D’you know that after discussing the matter quite extensively, those little birds still couldn’t agree on a sentiment … so I simply wrote my message on the inside and sent them merrily on their way.  I know they’ve arrived safely and are happily installed in their new home across the Atlantic.  I’m hoping they’re behaving themselves … naturally.

I’m off to be inspired by what everyone else has been creating.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂