Flutter by Butterfly

8pm and I'm typing this post it's been one of those days!!! Walshie stayed home today after a tooth extraction yesterday - poor thing he didn't get much sleep last night

Anyway, this is the card I made for this weeks Sketch Challenge on Stamp TV. Every week they have several challenges for us to enter and if you're the lucky name to picked at random you get to choose a set of stamps from the Gina K range. Better still if the stamp you used on your card is one of Gina's range your name goes in the draw twice. Go check it out - click on the Stamp TV badge and it will take you straight there!

So Kathy was the sketch designer this week with the centre image being set at an angle I chose to use a butterfly - whew that took care of the angle problem!

• Stamp: GKD Eclectic Summer
• Card Stock: GKD Pure Luxury soft sand, DP Kaiserscrapbook- Rustic Charm D/S, Bazzil black and honeycomb.
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Egyptian Gold Embossing Powder.
• Embellishments: caramel gross grain ribbon and a gold ring.

Lots of layers on this card, with the honeycomb piece embossed with Swiss dots. The butterfly was stamped then cut out and embossed with the gold and some colour added with Copic markers. This is then attached to the card by its body only with a slim strip of tape so the wings are free. I added some foam just beneath the upper wing to sit it up from the background.

Hope you like this one.

Till next time.........

Stamping on something other than paper....

Hi,

Oh dear we're back to cold weather again , my hands are dry and sore, I can't get them warm!!!

Just a quick post today as my new stamp sets have arrived from Gina K so need to get them ready to play!!

I thought I would show you a tray cloth I stamped with one of Gina's stamp sets, Home Tweet Home by Rupa Shevde The cloth is Linen and I just used VersaFine Vintage Sepia as I knew I would cover the ink with thread. After I stamped I head set it by ironing over a piece of white paper. I used silk embroidery thread for my simple stitches (small back stitch , french knots and colonial knots). Six strand embroidery cotton would work just as well and I think it would be nice stitched in just one colour say blue.

Anyway hope you like this - just something different to try with your stamps.

I'm off to make some mushroom soup - it's definitely soup weather and Walshie had a dental appointment today so think we better keep things simple!!!!

Till next time......

Thinking of you.. SASSC22

Hello, have you enjoyed your Sunday?

Its been a beautiful winters day here the suns been out all day. Still cool but dry and no wind for a change . The kookaburras took advantage of the sun and had a dip in the pool this morning, thought you might like to see, shame my good camera had run out of battery so had to use the point and click. Haven't had much time for card making this weekend but I did manage this one for the Stamps and Smiles sketch challenge.

• Stamps: SU Upsy Daisy and the sentiment is a clear stamp from Studio G
• Card: Green craft card, GKD Pure Luxury pure white 80lb (this is a beautiful silky smooth card. PD is from the Nana's Nursery Stack by DCWV.
• Ink: VersaColor Sand Beige
• Embellishments 2 off white and 2 green brads.

I wanted this card to be quiet and peaceful (if that makes sense to you). A blogging friend here is Australia lost her sister in the UK after a long illness and I know what it feels like to be so far away from family when this happens. It's hard not to feel guilty for being on the other side of the world even though being there wouldn't have changed anything. When it happened to me I just wanted to be quiet on my own to get it straight in my head - quiet and peaceful!

So I made this card with my friend in mind.

Quick catch up time....

Hello, how are you today?

According to the map on my blog quite a few of you are US citizens so Happy 4th July, hope you enjoy the festivities with family and friends.

I'm playing catch up today with these two cards. The first one I called 'Wisteria Lily' not very imaginative I know, I will try to do better! This card was made for a challenge over at Stamp TV (now that's unusual!) The challenge was to use blue, grey, amethyst, moss/pine, sand/brown. My green is probably a bit bright and my flowers started off quite a bit lighter but I didn't like them (oops). I do love the double lace punched border though and this ribbon is gorgeous it ties a great knot.

• Stamps: Gina K Elegant Flowers
• DP Basic Grey Wisteria, GKD Pure Luxury Pure White, pale lemon(sand) craft card
• Embellishments: Pale green rhinestones Kaiserscrapbook and pale lemon double sided satin ribbon.

The leaves I stamped and cut out to raise them on the card with foam tabs.

"It's Time..."

The second card earned me lots of comments when I posted it to the gallery at STV. It was made for Kathy's sketch challenge.

• Stamp: GKD Eclectic Summer.
• Paper: Pale lemon, soft brown Craft Card. DP GKD Digi paper from Elegant Flowers Kit

The Pale Lemon card was trimmed to 11.5 x 4.25 Inches and folded in half to give me a tall slim card. I pierced around the edge (using my sewing machine without thread.... sh don't tell anyone).

The soft brown card was embossed using a Cuttlebug Swirls and birds folder(1st element).

2nd element was to attach the digital dp to some pale lemon card and sew a zig zag using the sewing machine.

3rd element should have been a smaller rectangle with a stamped image to sit above the 2nd element. Now I did this but didn't like it - too much cream card showing I think so off it came!!

I need to back up a bit - The balloon was stamped onto two different but co-ordinating scraps of dp. then I trimmed out every other segment (down to just above the basket) on one stamped image and alternated them on the second. Then it was just a case of sticking them together to alternate the segments. I just trimmed around the image and attached it using foam tabs to the front of the card at a slight angle.

The strip across the front had some household string crossed around it (supposed to look a bit like the ropes on a hot air balloon!). This just left a sentiment and mine was computer generated and printed onto some more of the pale lemon card.

Now the thing is...... when I took the picture outside the sun was out and it cast a shadow behind the image!!!! which actually made it look really good I think. My friend Kerrie said that taking a picture with the card standing on some quilt wadding made it look like the card was sitting on a cloud - now that might have helped too - I didn't even consider this until she mentioned it, I just wanted something white that was flexible to hang over the back of an outside chair. Whatever, people seemed to like this card, as I say it got quite a lot of comments and I'm not about to complain.

OK that's it I'm off to bed. Have a great week-end,

Till next time.......

Will someone please pinch me!!!!

Hiya,

Those of you who visit me often know I spend a lot of time at Stamp TV. Gina K and her Design Team share a wealth of knowledge with us by way of YouTube tutorials, sample cards as well as on line classes. I started stamping around the end of January this year which is about the time this site was born so a look through my gallery would show how my card making skills have come along!

At the end of June Gina sent me a message asking if I would like to be one of the Centre Stage Spotlight Design Team for the month of July!! What an honour, I can hardly believe it. The other girls in the group for July are all so talented, I've admired their cards in the gallery, what a privilege to be amongst them. So I think it will be an interesting month, I plan to make the most of it and hope you come along with me on this journey.

Thank you Gina and all my friends at Stamp TV you guys are fantastic!!!

If this is your first visit please leave me a comment i'd love to come visit you..........

ps Walshie thinks he might be on cooking duties for the next month!!!

MOJO MONDAY 93

Good Morning,

Finally sat down to Mojo Monday - hope you like "mojo reach for the stars".

• Card: Gina K Pure Luxury - pure white, DP Basic Grey Cupcake, forest green and pale lemon craft card
• Stamp: SU Animal Crackers.
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Copic Markers
• Embellishments: pale lemon fine satin ribbon and three small gold brads.
• Spellbinders Nestabilities scalloped square, plain and scalloped ovals.
• Cuttlebug Swiss dots embossing folder.

My image is stamped (masking off the sentiment which was stamped separately) and clear embossed then coloured with Copics.

Base card measures 10 x 4.5 inches, scored and folded for a 5 x 4.5 inch finished card.

I've used forest green as the mat then layered the DP cupcake.

I used my new square Nestability scalloped die to cut another forest green mat. Then ran a piece of pale lemon through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss dots embossing folder. Fine pale lemon ribbon was wrapped around these squares and tied in a bow before attaching the stamped image with some more of the green card behind opposite corners.

The sentiment, which on this stamp usually sits down the length of the giraffe's neck was stamped onto more of the pure white card then cut with an oval Nestie. This was then added to a scalloped forest green oval before attaching it to the card front with foam tape.

To complete the card I added 3 small gold brads before the card was assembled.

I'm off to shorten a pair of trousers for Walshie! can someone please tell me why they make mens trousers so long and womens on the short side - it drives me mad!!!

Till next time....

Sweet Iris...

Well hello again, glad to see you back here! Did you go collect your freebie Angus Argus????

I was so busy making cards over the week-end for the Stamp TV challenges four in total then the three digi stamp cards yesterday. I feel as though I'm cheating a bit this week with my posts. I've managed to stretch them out right through to Thursday!! Any of you Stamp TV stampers (and if you're not, why not!) will have seen these cards in the gallery over there and possibly SCS - sorry about that.

Today's card is probably my favourite from the challenges - made for Theresa Momber's 'Sketch it' challenge. Check Theresa's cards out here she is one very clever lady.

• Stamp: Gina K Elegant Flowers
• Coloured with Copic Markers
• Paper: Gina K Pure Luxury Pure White, Soft pink craft card, DCWV Nana's Nursery Card stack.
• SU Lace border Punch
• Cuttlebug Swiss dots embossing folder
• Embellishments: Pale pink gross grain ribbon (from my sewing box) Antique brass charm.

Ivory card base was embossed with Swiss dots before the first element of candy strip and pale pink card were attached. I did pierce all four corners of the pale pink but this is something I'm not very good at. I'm thinking next time I might use the sewing machine without thread!!

I punched one edge of both the green spot and the pale pink for the horizontal strip to give me the double lace edge. Added the ribbon with the charm attached.

This Iris stamp is one I love to colour, I've used it a few times and coloured this time with pencils and baby oil. This was mounted to some of the pale pink with just the hint of a border showing, then attached to the card with foam tape.

Chit chat:

I had a fun afternoon yesterday, one of my sewing friends held a Nutrimetics (cosmetics) party at her home. There were six of us plus the make-up artist who advised us all the right colour foundation, eye shadow, lipstick etc we should be wearing!! She took the time to make us up, demonstrating the way it should be done!! My usual routine is a quick flick of foundation some mascara and lippie!! When it was my turn I suggested that to save time just make up one eye! We laughed and laughed, had afternoon tea with scones etc. then driving home I turned to my friends and shrieked OMG I have to call at the shops for milk and bread!!

They assured me that I looked fine no-one would notice..... imagine how I felt on arriving home and Walshie said - Er nice but what happened to the other half of your face!!!!!!!!!

Till next time........