CASology #107 (Stripe), Fusion #31/7 (The Beach House), Paper Smooches SPARKS #3/8 (Anything Goes), SSS Wednesday #6/8 (Make It Sparkle)

It’s been a bit quiet here on the old blog for a while … life’s been a bit over-full dealing with the after effects of a lightning strike on the house last Saturday.  Now, we have most services back … internet (obviously!), phone, power and hot water (blissful!) … and hope the rest (plus the replacement of our frazzled electrical goods) will be sorted quickly.  Keeping things in perspective, it is only ‘stuff’ … we’re blessed it wasn’t us that got frazzled!  Anyway, last night, after a few evenings of lovely visits round the blogosphere, I was (almost) not behind with visiting everyone, so I sat down in my craft corner, breathed a little, and made this …

I die cut the Paper Smooches ‘thanks’, topped it with Stickles and added a coat of Glossy Accents (very sparkly!).  The Avery Elle brush strokes were stamped onto a white panel and the flowers and leaves (also AE) were stamped onto separate card.  I trimmed out the flowers and leaves, adhered them to the white panel on different height foam dots, and added tiny pearls to the flower centres.  The posy took a bit of arranging … which was fine because by the time I’d at last decided on a final look, the glittery thanks was dry, so I added that over the brush strokes and popped the finished white panel onto a card base with foam tape.

I’m joining in with …

CASology – Stripe (the brush strokes and have a close look at those blooms!)

Fusion – Beach House (colours from the table in the gorgeous inspiration photo … flowers, cupcakes, melons … and the shimmer from the light you can just see hanging above it.)

Paper Smooches SPARKS – Anything Goes (die cut thanks)

SSS Wednesday – Make It Sparkle (I did, with Stickles!)

ETA:  Oops, Mr Linky’s door had already closed at PSS … there’s always next time!

Hope your week’s been calmer than ours … hoping for a more peaceful one ahead!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

         

         

CASology #104 (Pet), Make The Day Special #4 (CASE Histories), Colour Q #250, Addicted to Stamps & More #104 (CAS) Paper Smooches 20-26/7 (Anything Goes), SSS Wednesday 16/7 (Spots and Dots)

As some of you know, I always have a lot of fun with cute bird images … I have a menagerie of them one or two of them … here’s a colourful type …

                                                   

I have no idea how long it is since I used a piece of DP … a very, very, very long time … but this little chap merited it.  I trimmed a centimetre off one edge of a white card panel, added a strip of dotty DP in it’s place and die cut a circle in a ‘sweet spot’.  Another (bigger) circle of card was die cut, coloured with a black Promarker, clear embossed to give it shine and adhered to the card base to fit under the space.  The Papertrey sentiment was stamped to match the curve of the circle and I added the halo of lights dots with a black fine liner and clear glaze pen before popping up the panel on the card base with foam tape.  I stamped the Paper Smooches toucan (at least I think he’s a toucan), coloured him with Promarkers, added Glossy Accents for his eyes and some Wink of Stella shimmer for his beak and feathers.  I trimmed him out and popped him up on foam dots on his ‘stage’ … he looks as though he’s gazing out at his adoring fans!  Here’s a close up so you can gaze back …

Check out the reflection from the black mirror shiny embossing behind him … a happy accident!

He’s flying off to these challenges …

CASology – Pet (he’s not a real pet … there’s no feeding, grooming or cleaning up of doo-doo!)

Make The Day Special – CASE History (CASE a card from your first year of blogging/crafting … mine’s from February 2013 (here and below) … I used the layout and image to inspire me!)

         

Colour Q – Use One Spot Colour or All Five (I used all five plus the black and white)

Paper Smooches – Anything Goes (the toucan’s from PS My Peeps)

Addicted to Stamps & More – CAS (one image, white space, limited layers, quick to recreate)

SSS Wednesday – Spots and Dots (DP strip, halo of dots)

Off to link … back in a little while with the last card of the day.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

                   

                   

Paper Smooches 2/3 (Anything Goes), Winnie & Walter Join In To Win (March)

We have a friend who has the most splendid garden in which he grows almost every vegetable known to man (along with a good proportion of the known fruit too) … we know, cause we’ve tasted most of them!  It was his birthday just the other day and this was his fun card …

The veggies from the Paper Smooches’ Vegtastic set were perfect for him … as was the sweet little snail from Winnie & Walter’s You’ve Got Love Mail, so I’m playing along with both … Anything Goes at Paper Smooches and Join In To Win at Winnie & Walter .

I stamped the veggies, coloured them with Promarkers, trimmed them out and liberally applied Glossy Accents (which you can’t see because I took a rubbish photo … they look luscious IRL!).  Monsieur Escargot was stamped along the bottom edge of a white panel, the sentiment was added and I ran the panel through my Cuttlebug (Charles EF) … a hint at the idea of furrows.  The veggies lined themselved up in school-photo-style across the furrows and were popped up on different sized foam dots, and the finished panel was popped up on the card base.  I can’t help but smile looking at it!

Off to do a little outdoor work whilst the sun’s shining and the sky’s blue … hope you’re having a Saturday full of sunshine!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

           

Paper Smooches SPARKS (February Picture Perfect), Little Tangles #30 (Celebrate Love), SSS Work It Wednesday #1 (Something New), SSS Monday 10/2 (We Love Stamps)

Both Jennifer McGuire and Amber Kemp-Gerstel have featured glitter in a big way on their designs recently.  I don’t generally use a lot, p’raps the odd sprinkle here and there, maybe a little Stickles every so often … until today …

I’m playing with Paper Smooches SPARKS Picture Perfect challenge (see the fab heart inspiration below) as well as Neat and Tangled’s Little Tangles Celebrate Love theme (although no N&T goodies make an appearance here … see later). This is my second entry at Simon Says Stamp’s Work It Wednesday, where we’ve to use something new (the glittering technique), and is another submission for We Love Stamps at Simon Says Stamp Monday.

This plain white heart was found lurking at the back of my desk (a nice surprise … thought they’d all been used up).  I covered it in double sided tape, took off every third backing strip and liberally sprinkled and squashed glitter over the sticky surface … first in gold, then bright pink, finally light pink.  Mulling ensued.  The heart looked naked on it’s own on the card, even popped up … so I made a plain chunky frame with a couple of layers of chipboard and one of grey cardstock (that’s the short version … I spent hours a little while experimenting and making a mess.)  The PS sentiment was stamped first, the frame was adhered and then the heart went inside.  I tried very hard to use some N&T sequins … for a looooong time … it didn’t work.  Well, I realised rather late in the day … it wouldn’t would it, all that glitteriness was more than enough … anything more would be overkill!  So, it’s plain … apart from the sparkle, that is.

Now, a touch of tidying before bed, I think … my desk’s under there somewhere!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a delight!  Anita 🙂

                   

         

Paper Smooches SPARKS 29/12 (Anything Goes), Colour Me! #1 (Island Indigo), SSS Wednesday 1/1 (Something New)

I played with splashes this evening.  Not in a big cascading way, you understand … more in a restrained, understated, almost dry sort of a way.  Well, splashettes, really … look …

I’m joining in with Paper Smooches SPARKS‘ Anything Goes week, at the shiny new Colour Me! challenge, where we have Island Indigo to play with.  Also, as those sequins are NBUS (from Neat & Tangled), I’m linking up with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday‘s Something New theme.

The PS thanks was stamped in Stazon black and watercoloured (not Island Indigo but the closest colour in my stash).  I overstamped the PS background in grey and used a waterbrush with what was left over from the colouring to make the splashettes over the card base.  The stars were Cricut cut (done in a rare moment of foresight when my Cricut was playing nicely), colour washed and splashetted with water.  When dry, the two were adhered together and popped up on the card on foam dots.  The sequins were the finishing touch.  I rather like the way the droplets on the coloured areas have lifted some of the colour off … makes it kind of texture-y.

I hope you’re staying warm and cosy where you are this weekend.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

                    

Muse #42 (Laurie Willison), Paper Smooches SPARKS 4/11 (Trend Watch), Simon Says Stamp Wednesday 6/11 (Keep it Clean and Simple)

Another card to share to finish the weekend.  This time it’s for Muse, where Laurie Willison has given us an amazingly CAS card to play with (below), and for Paper Smooches SPARKS, where there’s a ‘Stripes’ Trend Watch … and because it’s CAS, I’m also linking to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday for their Keep it Clean and Simple challenge.

Here’s Laurie’s card …

           

           

I stamped the wee penguin, coloured his beak, trimmed him out and gave him a coat of Wink of Stella for sparkle.  The border was stamped using Brilliance inks and attached over some pearly glisteny paper.  I added the sentiment before popping the penguin up on foam dots.  IRL, everything’s gently shiny and sparkley … shame I couldn’t catch it on camera to show you!

Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are a delight!  Anita 🙂

Paper Smooches Sparks 21/10 (Cool Shades), CAS(E) this Sketch #51, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday 23/10 (Halloween Colours)

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Here’s my final card for the weekend … a joint venture between Paper Smooches Sparks, where it’s Cool Shades week (orange, purple, kraft, teal), CAS(E) this Sketch where N@Ali is our sketch artist, and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, where there’s a Halloween Colours theme …

                

           

I used the sketch upside down, and stamped the PS sentiment over a PTI sketch banner that I made narrower by masking each side with post its.  The PS cute bird was stamped, coloured with Promarkers and trimmed out.  I added Glossy Accents to his eyes and once that was dry, popped him up on dimensionals.  The addition of a few previously kraft-tinted clear sequins was the finishing touch.

I’m not sure where the weekend’s gone, but gone it has … and it’s a bit late to go off on my travels round the blogosphere again tonight, so I’ll be catching up tomorrow.  I do hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend, and had the chance to have some lovely creative time.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are, as always a delight!  Anita 🙂

Muse #39 (Marion Vagg) and Paper Smooches Sparks 14/10 (Designer Drafts)

Marion‘s created a fabulous graphic card for us this week at Muse … with a touch of whimsy thrown in for good measure!  Over at Paper Smooches Sparks, it’s Designer Drafts week and to my eyes, it fits well with our Muse challenge … so I combined them …

Here’s Marion’s card …

         

         

I stamped the border on a white card panel, using a tiny Paper Smooches stamp (from Spiffy Scooters) and then used the border as a model to line up and draw the background to the frame.  The frame was cut, the bird and feathers were stamped and trimmed out, and the sentiment was stamped and embossed on the frame (all stamps from My Peeps).  I put the frame and background together, added the bird and feathers and popped it all up on dimensionals.  Finally I popped up the panel on the card base.   Just in case you’re wondering, the scattering of stars from the PSS sketch appear as the rather tidy border on my version!

I’m off to see how everyone else has been inspired by these challenges.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a delight!  Anita 🙂

CASology #63 (Autumn), CAS-ual Fridays #115 (Fall Colours and a Leaf), Addicted to CAS #23 (Autumn/Fall), Paper Smooches SPARKS 23/9 (Picture Perfect), Simon Says Stamp, Insider Online Card Class

Monsieur Mojo ran away from home this week … think he was fed up of trying to work in an exhausted brain … so he left.  This morning he came back and took up residence again.  It’s taken him a while this afternoon, but all credit to him … he’s come up with a card that’s so amiable it’ll be happy in lots of environments …

and here’s the inside …

           

         

         

I was inspired by Ardyth’s DT card at CASology … that wonderful cascade of leaves and those gorgeous colours … so I did something similar.  My leaves are slightly different in that as well as tumbling down the card, they tumble from summer greens to autumn oranges and reds.  I stamped the same colours round the edges of the base card, to mirror the change of seasons on the leaf panel, and added the sentiment in Expresso Truffle.   All the stamps are from Paper Smooches … the leaf is one of those easily overlookable little images in Vogue Abode.

As a rule, that would be my card done, but not at the moment.  I enrolled on my first Online Card Class a short while ago (Insider) and it’s been going on this week … mostly without me (given M Mojo’s absence and the lack of functioning brain).  However, I have seen a few of the videos … they’re awesome … stunning and clever ideas for taking your design to the inside of the card.  So I’m putting what I’ve learned so far into practice here in a very small way … having tumbled, the leaves are all now in a neat pile in the bottom corner … and I added a little more gratitude with a supplementary sentiment.  I wanted to add ‘thanks piles’  but don’t have a stamp like that … and anyway, I wouldn’t want anyone to misinterpret a message like that … I know you wouldn’t at all, but imagine, the very thought.

I did say this card would fit in well in so many places … so it’s going on a bit of a tour … CASology – Autumn, CAS-ual Fridays – Fall Colours and a Leaf, Addicted to CAS – Autumn/Fall, Paper Smooches Sparks – Picture Perfect, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes, Simon Says Stamp – Stamptember, Insider Online Card Class Gallery … phew!

I’m making the most of MM’s continued presence so should be back later with another card …  for now I’m starting the linking marathon!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

Less is More #137 (Get Well Soon), Addicted to CAS #22 (Get Well), Paper Smooches Sparks 16/9 (Purple, Teal, Lime Green, Grey), Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge 18/9 (STAMPtember)

There’s a brace of ‘Get Well Soon’ challenges this week … it’s the theme chosen by Chrissie and Jen for our one layer card at Less is More … and it’s also been picked by the lovely Sandie over at Addicted to CAS.  Oh good … a bit of challenge doubling.  But wait … it just so happens that I used Paper Smooches stamps for my card, and as the Paper Smooches Sparks challenge this week is a Cool Shades one, my colours are their colours … purple, teal, lime green and grey.  Challenge trebling then …

         

         

ETA:  I forgot .. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is asking us to use something from the store this week to celebrate STAMPtember … I used Paper Smooches Healthy Vibes, so am submitting there too … quadrupling!

I love this little creature as it’s able to morph into different things … a while ago it made an appearance as an extraterrestrial (here) … this time it’s a germ … not sure what it might turn into next time.  Wish I was as versatile (in a non-germ way of course).

As well as taking the starring role during this performance, this little ‘thing’ had a walk-on part … as a mask, so I could get it’s buddies to float about in a crowd-like manner across the stage card.  Once the crowd got themselves settled, they were coloured with Promarkers, although for the extraverts among them that wasn’t enough.  The lime green ones insisted on hogging the limelight (naturally), so are sporting doodled spotty numbers instead of plain outfits.   They all have stickles added to their head-blobs (I was going to say antennae, but don’t know if germs have them … head-blobs seemed more appropriate) and the ‘feel better soon’ part of the sentiment nestles cosily between the tail-blobs of the final four.

Before I move on, has anyone read ‘A Million Chameleons’ by James Young … either themselves or to sons/daughters/nieces/nephews/grandchildren?  It’s the one that starts ‘a little chameleon all in vermilion,  danced alone in a garden pavilion’.  If you have (and it’s not toooo long ago), don’t these germs remind you of the illustrations of the chameleons?  If you haven’t, and you have little people to read to, try it … it’s charming and delighful.  I read it to my niece a million times when she was between two and four years old … it was high on her favorites list (and mine because we had so much fun together with it!).

Now … some exciting news.  Yesterday, my whelms were very definitely overed when I found I’d made it onto the ATCAS Wall of Fame … to be in the company of so many talented and inspiring card-makers … wow … I mean WOW!  Thank you so much Kylie, and the rest of the DT for such an honour … and for such a fun challenge … your hard work, creativity and enthusiasm is so appreciated 🙂

I’m looking forward to a browse round blogland a little later, to see who’s been inspired to do what, so may see you there.  In the meantime, thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a delight!  Anita 🙂