Simon Says Stamp Wildflowers Sunrise Card

 

Hi everyone,

I have been very busy in my craft room making some ink blended backgrounds which is one of my favourite things to create.  I thought I would create a Sunrise Card to fit the theme of the Splitcoaststampers Free for All Friday F4A844 Challenge of Yellow and Black.  You can use other colours but yellow and black should be your main two colours.  There are no time limits to play Splitcoaststampers Challenges - so play along anytime you wish.

When I was planning my card, I was thinking about that very first warm Summer's Day of the season and how you can just tell at sunrise, that it is going to be beautiful and warm:  you anticipate the joy that it give you to feel the heat of the sun's rays on your body after the cold - it just makes you happy and puts you in a good mood 😄 

So here is what I made:  

I used Bristol Smooth White Cardstock for my ink-blending which is my favourite cardstock to use because it blends so beautifully due to its smooth surface.  I masked the sun using a Lavinia Circle Mask and used repositionable tape underneath to hold it in place.  I ink blended Ranger Distress Inks in the colours:  Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber and Carved Pumpkin.  I splattered the panel with clean water to some texture which is a little hard to see in the photo.

I removed the circle mask then went over the sun with Squeezed Lemonade and Scattered Straw to take away the whiteness - then used Mont Marte Pastel Pencils in two yellow shades to add some more colour.  It still looks quite white in the photo but it is more of pale yellow in real life.

The silhouette stamp I have had since 2020 but is still available on the Simon Says Stamp website.  It comes in a set of 2 and is really HUGE!  I stamped it using Altenew Obsidian Black Ink with my Stamping Platform so I could re-stamp it several times to get good coverage - then went over a few small bits that didn't quite stamp properly using an Anko .05 Black Pigment Pen.  

The sentiment is by Unity Stamps and dates back to 2009, and was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black Ink.  I added a Kaisercraft Black Pearl to the RHS of the sentiment using Art Glitter Glue for good adhesion.

Final touches were adding Stampin' Up - Tiny Bee Trinkets - which were glued on using Art Glitter Glue.  These tiny bees were a very recent purchase and were on the Last Chance List but are no longer showing on their website so must have sold out.  Now I wish I had bought a second container......sigh.......

The main image panel was layered onto Stampin Up Daffodil Delight Cardstock then Black Cardstock - then finally an American Crafts White Card Base.  Finished size is:  6-3/8 x 4-11/16 inches or 162 x 119mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamps Wildflowers SSS201998, Unity Stamps Feel the Joy IB-254 by Lindsey Spencer

Ink:  Altenew Obsidian Black Pigment, Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress - Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber + Carved Pumpkin

Accessories:  Ink Blending Tools, Stamping Platform, Anko .05 Black Pigment Pen, Kaisercraft Black Pearl BR211, Stampin Up Tiny Bee Trinkets #164714 (retired), Mont Marte Yellow Pastel Pencils, Art Glitter Glue, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Repositionable Tape, Bristol Smooth White Cardstock, Stampin Up Daffodil Delight Cardstock + Black Cardstock, American Crafts White Card Base

Stencils:  Lavinia Acetate Circle Masks LAM001    

Penny Black Frolic Card - A Guest Designer Post for Critter Crazy

 

Hi everyone,

Over at the Critter Crazy Challenge Blog, I was offered a Guest Designer Role for the month of MAY after being Becca's (Owner) Eagle Eyes Pick w/Guest DT invite from the March Challenge - so I was very honoured to be asked.  The theme is always 'Anything Goes with a featured Critter - real or fantasy', so why not play along yourself and have some fun. 

The Challenges always start on the 1st of each month and HERE is a link to May's Challenge #110.

And this is what I made:

As you probably already know, I LOVE featuring critters on my card - they just make me happy - so I pulled out one of my most-favourite Penny Black Cat Stamps called Frolic which dates back to 2009.  You just can't help but smile at that happy cat, can you?!!    

I stamped the image onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black Ink and coloured it using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and a Zig Blender Pen.  I went over some of the black lines using an Anko 0.05 Black Pigment Pen for any that needed darkening up after my colouring.

Here is a close-up:

The sentiment is by Mama Elephant - Mini Messages - which was first released in 2015 but is still available.  This is a fabulous set with a variety of small sentiments and a few small images for lots of different occasions including Christmas so definitely worth picking up.  I don't always want to add a separate sentiment panel to my main image and I thought the sentiment I chose meant I could use the card for a variety of occasions.  I used my Stamp Positioning Tool for perfect placement.

I diecut the main panel using my Big Shot and Lifestyle Nesting Rounded Squares Dies.

The designer papers are by Cocoa Vanilla - Happy Day - which were released in 2023.  I love the bright cheery colours in this paper.  The cardstock is by Kaisercraft - Wildberry and Blueberry.

I added a matching American Crafts 9.5mm or 3/8" inch wide Organza Ribbon.

I punched some tiny hearts from Wildberry Cardstock using my EK Success Arrows Border Punch - they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts.  I glued them on using Art Glitter Glue.

Finishing touches were Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush to all the hearts and flowers so it looks very sparkly in real life

Once I had completed my card front, I glued it to a White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  Finished size is 140mm x 140mm or 5-1/2" x 5-1/2".

Thanks Becca for asking me to be a Guest Designer - I really appreciate it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Frolic 3972K Wood Mount, Mama Elephant Mini Messsages

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Cocoa Vanilla Happy Days A5 Stack - Item # CV-HD011

Accessories:  Big Shot, American Crafts Organza Ribbon 9.5mm-3/8" wide, Anko Black .05 Pigment Pen, Stamp Positioning Tool, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Fabric Glue, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Cardstock - Ranger Watercolour + Kaisercraft Wildberry and Blueberry, White Card Base 140mm x 140mm

Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Rounded Squares L-CC-002 (retired)

Punches:  EK Success Arrows Border

Stampin' Up Frames and Flowers Just a Note Card #3

 

Hi everyone 😃

I am on a roll playing with the Stampin' Up Frames and Flowers designer paper and diecuts as this is the 3rd card that I have made so far - and there is still plenty of it leftover!

Today's card is another card for my stash that I can use for any number of different occasions which is why I didn't put a Happy Birthday sentiment on it.

I diecut a white cardstock circle using my Big Shot and Memory Box Pinpoint Circle Frame Die which added the dotted detail just for some interest.  Not sure if this die is still available as I have had it for ages.  I popped this on top of the already diecut wreath.  One thing I really love about this Frames and Flowers set is that the diecut pieces literally just fall out as they are cut very cleanly so you don't need to use scissors to trim anything.

I worked out roughly where the diecut bunch of flowers/leaves and the punched elements were going to go so I knew where to stamp the sentiment.  The sentiment is by Stampin' Up from their Simply Said Stamp Set and was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black.  In a perfect world, I would have stamped the sentiment using Pretty Peacock Ink but I don't have that colour yet.   I popped the diecut bunch of flowers/leaves on dimensionals so I had room to glue the punched elements behind it

I punched some leaves from Stampin' Up Cardstock in the colours - Pretty Peacock, Shaded Spruce and Garden Green - using two Martha Stewart Punches:  Frond and Pine Branch.  I glued them on using Tombow Mono Multi Glue but just the bottom portions so I could bend the foliage up to add more height and texture.

I used an old embossing folder by Cuttlebug called Textile to dry-emboss some Peach Coloured Cardstock from my stash - then snipped the bottom with my scissors to make a banner.  This was then layered onto some designer paper then onto Pretty Peacock Cardstock which was trimmed to 1/8" using my We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides.

Finishing touches are the Peachy coloured Satin Ribbon from my stash, Kaisercraft Blush Rhinestones for the flower centres and Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush for the flowers and the peachy elements on the wreath.

Lastly, I glued the card front to a white card base.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Simply Said #163756

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up! Frames and Flowers including diecuts 

Accessories:  Big Shot, Cuttlebug Textile Embossing Folder (retired), Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Helmar's 450 Quick Drive Adhesive, Kaisercraft Blush Rhinestones BS716, Peach Satin Ribbon (stash), Scrap of White Cardstock, Stampin' Up! Cardstock - Pretty Peacock + Shaded Spruce + Garden Green, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush

Punches:  Martha Stewart Frond + Pine Branch

Dies:  Memory Box Pinpoint Circle Frame #99760

Stampin' Up Frames and Flowers Just a Note Card

 

Hi blogging friends 😃

Today I am sharing a card that I made using the Stampin' Up Frames and Flowers designer papers and diecut elements.

I just ADORE the colour palette of this range - right up my alley.  Frames and Flowers is still current so if you want to get your hands on it, I would do so before the catalogue finishes at the end of April as it may not carry over to the new catalogue.  I bought a second set as it is only $17.50 here in Australia and you can make tons of cards with it.   If you do a search on Pinterest for ideas of how to use it, there are many, many cards so it is obviously very popular with cardmakers. 

Anyhow, onto my card:  

The foliage tucked in and around the top and bottom flowers and leaves were punched with my Martha Stewart Frond and Pine Branch punches using Stampin' Up cardstock in the colours Pretty Peacock, Garden Green and Shaded Spruce.  The palest leaves (the ones with the rounded leaves) are diecut elements from the Frames and Flowers set.  I glued the leaves on using Tombow Mono Multi Glue but just the bottoms so I could bend the leaves up to add some dimension.  Although I bought these punches a long time ago, I have seen some second-hand ones on EBay - but you could use dies instead as there are plenty of leaf dies available these days.

The designer paper on the bottom is a diecut frame and was layered onto some Peachy coloured cardstock that I had in my stash with a 1/16" border.  This was then layered onto Pretty Peacock cardstock with a 1/8" border.  

I added some white cardstock underneath the diecut frame so I could stamp a sentiment.  This sentiment came free with a stamp set from a Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine ages ago and is called Sincere Sentiments - SC Design by Simone Clay.   I have used many of the sentiments in this set and I love all the different fonts.  I stamped the sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black.

I added some Kaisercraft Champagne Rhinestones then added some Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush to the flowers.

Lastly, I glued my finished card front to a white card base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

I think you could use this card for many different occasions - thank you, friendship, birthday, thinking of you etc.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:  

Stamps:  Sincere Sentiments - SC Design by Simone Clay (freebie with magazine)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up Frames and Flowers #163765 including diecut elements

Accessories:  Kaisercraft Champagne Rhinestones RS404, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, SU Dimensionals, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush, We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Scrap of White Cardstock, Peach Cardstock (unknown brand), Stampin' Up Cardstock - Garden Green + Pretty Peacock + Shaded Spruce

Punches:  Martha Stewart Frond + Pine Branch

Uniquely Creative Full Bloom Retirement Card

Hi everyone 😀

Today I am sharing a Retirement Card that I made for a cardmaking acquaintance.

About 2 years ago, I got chatting to a lady at the Self-Serve Checkout at our local supermarket and this lady was just starting out her cardmaking journey - so from then on, we would share photos of our latest makes and encourage each other.  I will miss our chats but I am sure we will see each other at the Craft Shows.

My card uses all Uniquely Creative Full Bloom products - mostly from their Card Kit - other than the sentiment on the card front.

The layout is based on one from their Full Bloom Cardmaking Kit - but I did change up alot of things.

I used Creative Cuts for the flowers around the sentiment panel.  The sentiment panel is from the 6" x 6" pad which originally had a white interior but it looked too stark against the rest of the card so I trimmed it out and added some peachy coloured paper which is the back side of the 12" x 12" paper - Blossom.  I used this same paper for underneath the floral paper.  The floral paper is from the 6" x 6" paper pad and was trimmed to an 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools.

The sentiment is a freebie from a Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine which I have had for ages.  I stamped it using Versafine Vintage Sepia ink which I thought was more in-keeping with the muted tones of the images.

The organza ribbon came with the cardmaking kit and I tied it using my Bow Easy and glued it on using Fabric Glue.  The pink rhinestones are also by Uniquely Creative.  

I added some Stampin' Up! Dazzling Details glitter glue to the flower centres and Wink of Stella Clear Glitter brush to the edges of the flowers (not that you can see in the photo).

Once I had finished the card front, I glued it to a white card base using Tombow Mono Multi.  I am sure you could use the card for many occasions and not just retirement.

I even decorated the card inside:  

The sentiment is from the Full Bloom Sentiment sheet in the card kit.  The roses were fussy-cut from one of the 6" x 6" sheets.

And I decorated the envelope too:

The rose was fussy-cut from one of the 12" x 12" sheets.  Of course, all the flowers on the card inside and envelope were glittered so look very pretty in real life.

Thanks for visiting my blog today and for any comments you care to leave.

Jocelyn 

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Just a Note - Sincere Sentiments - free with Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine

Ink:  Versafine Vintage Sepia

Designer Paper:  Uniquely Creative Full Bloom 6" x 6" and 12" x 12"

Accessories:  Uniquely Creative Cuts Full Bloom, organza ribbon, Bow Easy, Uniquely Creative Pink Rhinestones - UCE1765, fabric glue, Tombow Mono Multi blue, Stampin' Up! Dazzling Details glitter glue, Wink of Stella clear glitter brush, dimensionals, Perfect Layers Tools, white card base

Trimcraft Me to You Sweet Shoppe Valentine's Day card

Hi everyone 😀

Today I am sharing a card that I gave to my daughter for Valentine's Day:

I made the card on the 13th February so was a very last-minute make.  Our cat Ruby has been terribly sick these past 2 weeks so I have been very busy looking after her and had multiple Vet visits, blood tests etc.  The blood tests came back with nothing so it is a real puzzle but at least it's not kidney failure.  Ruby is now 13 so not a young cat and it's such an ordeal for her to take her to and from the Vet.  The next step will be an ultrasound and X-rays and the Vet is thinking it might be something neurological which doesn't sound too good.   Hopefully she will be OK.

Anyway, back to my card........ My photo editing program isn't working properly so I had to use a different one which had me tearing my hair out.  And even then, I could not figure out how to save it as a smaller file so ended up using the old program Paint to resize it.  So frustrating when you have used a program for over 10 years and suddenly it stops working - and wrapping my old brain cells around something else isn't a quick process.  Thank goodness for Google to search how do stuff.  I find the 'Help' that is attached to programs really UN-helpful and it's so much easier and quicker to understand it when someone posts a You-Tube video on how do something.  The colours on the card are actually a bit lighter in real life but this was the best I could do with the other program.

I am entering my card in the following Challenge:

Splitcoaststampers - Free for All F4A265 - Hearts and/or Flowers

The main image is by Trimcraft - Me to You (Tatty Teddy) Sweet Shoppe decoupage kit which is from some years ago.  Makes it so easy to layer the images together when all the pieces are already diecut 😀   Tatty Teddy is holding a sweet/lolly/candy in case you couldn't figure out what it is.  Inside the card, it says:  "You are so sweet".   My daughter and I are BIG Tatty Teddy fans so I have a little stash of Tatty Teddy papercraft products that have been released over the years.  I layered the image onto some mint cardstock and rounded the corners with my Corner Chomper then popped the panel up on foam tape.

Here is a close-up so you can see the dimension on the image:

All the designer papers are by Cocoa Vanilla - Unforgettable - 6" x 8" paper stack which just happened to match the image perfectly.  The punched pink cardstock border was made using my old favourite edge punch - Martha Stewart Lace Heart border.  I glued the leftover punched hearts around the image just to fill in some of the blank space and added some sparkle to them using a Wink of Stella clear glitter brush.

All the layers were trimmed to 1/16" and 1/8" respectively using my Perfect Layers Tools.

The sentiment is from another Trimcraft 'Me to You' range.  The twine came from my local supermarket - Woolworths (Australia) - and was part of their Valentine's Day range.

Finished size is 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" or about 140mm x 140mm.

On a happy note:  I was able to go to a Craft Show last Saturday - the first time since the Pandemic started.  It was so lovely to look at products in person and see all the new releases and card samples.   I always stock up on my staples like glue and card bases so tend to be more pragmatic in my approach so I don't have to by them online.  My favourite retailer is always Catchy Crafts as they are so upbeat and wanting to help you with anything that you need - and they always have a HUGE stand with everything you could ever need.  I buy from them online too and can highly recommend them.  No connection to them - just a happy customer wanting to support our Australian retailers. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Cocoa Vanilla Unforgettable 6" x 8" Paper Stack

Accessories:  Perfect Layers Tools, Tombow Mono Multi glue, dimensionals, Corner Chomper, Trimcraft 'Me to You' Tatty Teddy Sweet Shoppe decoupage set, Sentiment - Trimcraft, twine - Woolworths, cardstock - pink, mint and white card base, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter brush

Punches:  Martha Stewart Lace Heart edge

  

Colorado Craft Company Valentine's Day Card

Hi everyone 😊

Today I am sharing a Valentine's Day card that I made for my daughter:

The main image is by Colorado Craft Company and is called Birthday Wishing.  The illustrations in this set are by Anita Jeram who is an accomplished children's book author and illustrator.  Her classic book:  "Guess How Much I Love You" was a favourite of my daughter's when she was little so when I saw this set, I had to have it. 

I stamped the image onto watercolour paper using Ranger Potting Soil Archival ink.  To turn the image into a Valentine's Day image, I masked off the balloon and drew in a heart balloon using a Uni Pin Fine Line 0.1 Sepia pen which matched the Potting Soil ink perfectly.

I coloured the image using a mix of Lyra Watercolour pencils and Jasart Voyager Watercolour discs and a No. 2 round brush.  I used a No. 4 round brush for the sky and grass.  Once the image had dried, I went over the image with my Sepia pen to darken up any lines that had got a bit lost with my colouring.

I stamped the sentiment onto black cardstock using Versamark Watermark ink and heat-set it using Stampendous Detail White embossing powder.  I diecut the sentiment using a Lifestyle Nesting Circle die and my Big Shot and punched a small hole using my Stampin' Up 1/16" hole punch. 

I layered the image onto kraft cardstock using Tombow Mono Multi glue, tied on the Pink Sorbet twine and popped the sentiment up using 2mm dimensionals.  I popped the finished panel onto a white cardstock base.

I added some sparkle to the balloon and the bunny's cheek using my Wink of Stella clear glitter brush.  Lastly I added some pale pink hearts which I picked up at a Craft Show back in 2019.  There is no brand name on the pack.  

I think you could use the card for many occasions such as an Anniversary or Friendship.

This is also my card for the following Challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #673 - CAS  

Craft Catz - Challenge #538 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of Metal  

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope to see you again soon. 

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Colorado Craft Company - Birthday Wishing AJ373 - clear set

Ink:  Ranger Potting Soil Archival, Versamark Watermark

Designer Papers:  None

Accessories:  Stampin' Up Embossing Buddy, Stampendous Detail White embossing powder, Heat Gun, Lyra Watercolour Pencils, Jasart Voyager watercolour discs, #2 and #4 round paintbrush, Twine, Wink of Stella clear glitter brush, pink hearts, 2mm dimensionals, pale pink hearts (from stash), Tombow Mono Multi glue, Tacky glue, 140lb Watercolour Paper, Kraft and Black cardstock, White card base 

Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Circles

Punches:  Stampin' Up 1/16" circle handpunch

Lili of the Valley - Jenny Bear Friendship card

Hi everyone

I think it's lovely idea to surprise someone with a card when it isn't for a specific occasion such as a birthday - and the card I am sharing today was for a very special lady who lives on the other side of Australia just to let her know how loved she is by our family.  Now that C has the card, I can share it here on my blog:

This card is also for the Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge for August.  Please see THIS LINK for the challenge details.

The main image is from a Lili of the Valley (UK) Art Pad called 'James and Jenny Bear' Set 23 - and the designer papers are also by LOTV - Always and Forever - all of which LOTV retired a little while ago :-(  The papers were designed by NitWit Collections for LOTV and you can buy and download them here at NitWit's website - see THIS link.

I diecut the main image using my Big Shot and Lifestyle Nesting Circle dies.  The sentiment is also by LOTV and was stamped using Ranger Archival Sepia ink.  I coloured in the flowers on the sentiment using a pink pencil then added some tiny pink Molossi rhinestones to the flower centres.  I popped the panel up on dimensionals.

The bottom panel cardstock was punched using a Martha Stewart Lace Doily Edge punch.  The lacey top-left corner is a die by Cuttlebug - Vintage Corner - which I diecut using my Cuttlebug from the designer paper.  I diecut multiple layers of pale pink cardstock and glued them together then glued the designer paper on top so the diecut had some depth then added some Kaisercraft pink rhinestones to the top right and bottom left corners.

The pink seam binding was added in two separate elements and the bow was made using my Bow Easy and attached with Fabric glue.  The heart button was glued on using Crafter's Pick Incredibly tacky glue.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

The layers were trimmed to 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools.  I using an EK Success Arrows border punch to punch some tiny hearts (the leftover punchies look like tiny hearts) from dusky pink cardstock and added one to the sentiment panel and dotted the rest around the teddy bear.  I added plenty of Stampin' Up Dazzling Details glitter glue to the tiny hearts, bunch of flowers and the tag and the teddy's bow.  Here is a close-up:

Once I finished the card front, I glued it to a white card base.

I decorated the card inside to match the card front:

The sentiment is by Mama Elephant from their Woodland Gifts set.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  LOTV Circular Sentiments Set 7, Mama Elephant Woodland Gifts clear set

Ink:  Ranger Archival Sepia

Designer Paper:  LOTV 'Always and Forever' 8" x 8" pad © NitWit Collections

Accessories:  Main image - LOTV James and Jenny Bear Set 23 Art pad, Big Shot, Cuttlebug, Perfect Layers Tools, pink heart buttons - Dress It Up, pink sewing thread, SU Dazzling Details glitter glue, SU Fuse Fast adhesive, Crafter's Pick Incredibly tacky glue, fabric glue, Molossi and Kaisercraft pink rhinestones, pink pencil, dimensionals, pink seam binding, Bow Easy, Fray Stop, cardstock - dark dusky pink, pale pink, white, brown, white card base

Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Circles, Cuttlebug Vintage corner (retired)

Punches:  Martha Stewart Lace Doily edge, EK Success Arrows border

Penny Black Strawberry Jam thank you card

Hi blogging friends

The card I am sharing today is a "Thank you" card for a wonderful friend who has been very kind and supportive during our loved one's illness so what better way to say thank you than a handmade card!

The image is by Penny Black - Strawberry Jam and is my new favourite PB stamp (which I am sure I could say about every PB stamp LOL!).  It was stamped onto watercolour paper using Ranger Archival Sepia ink and coloured with various mediums:  Winsor and Newton watercolour paints, Faber-Castell + Albrecht-Durer watercolour pencils and Tombow pens using a No. 2 round Kolinsky Sable paintbrush.   I dry-brushed a little bit of white acrylic paint on the strawberries for the highlight.   I really love stamping some of the Penny Black critters in brown ink instead of black as it gives a softness to the image.

I punched some tiny hearts using pink and red parts of the designer paper using an EK Success Arrows border punch (they are the leftover punchies after using the punch that look like tiny hearts - too cute!) and glued them around the image then added Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue. 

The sentiment was a freebie stamp from a set called "Sweet Treats" - designed by Beth Gunnel and came free with a Quick Cards Made Easy magazine back in 2012.  I stamped it using Versamagic Gingerbread ink.  I originally stamped it with the Ranger Sepia ink but it just looked too dark and didn't look right so went for a softer and lighter brown.  The red heart was punched from one of the strawberries on the designer paper using a Carl CP-8 Heart duo (I used the smallest heart on the punch) then added Kindyglitz Crystalina to add some sparkle.

Here is a close-up of the sweet image:

The designer paper is one I picked up from a Craft Show which I thought was just perfect with the image.

The middle panel was embossed using my Big Shot and a Cart-Us embossing folder (sorry, but there is no name on the folder nor the packaging).  

The bottom brown layer is actually the flip-side of the designer paper as it matched the strawberry pattern so beautifully and the pink layer is cardstock.  All the layers were trimmed to 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools,

The fancy bottom border was punched using a Martha Stewart Lace Doily edge punch.  I recently replaced this punch because I wore the old one out and it is still my favourite punch:  just so feminine and pretty and never tire of it.  I am tempted to buy another one to put away before it comes unavailable just in case I break my new one or I wear it out.  Hmmm, wonder if should?  What do you think?

The twine is by Trendy Twine - Krazy for Kraft.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.  

Challenges:

I am entering my card in the following challenges -

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - May - You're favourite PB stamp 

Thanks for visiting my blog today and for any comments that you care to leave - they are very much appreciated!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Strawberry Jam 4254J wood mount, Sentiment Sweet Treats (freebie from Quick Cards Made Easy Magazine in 2012)

Ink:  Ranger Archival Sepia, Versamagic Gingerbread chalk

Designer paper:  Crate Paper Pretty Party - Cake Stand (2011) - both sides

Accessories:  Winsor and Newton watercolour paints, Faber-Castell + Albrecht-Durer watercolour pencils, Tombow pens, JoSonja Titanium White acrylic paint, No. 2 round Kolinsky Sable paintbrush, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, dimensionals, 140lb watercolour paper, Fray Stop, Trendy Twine - Krazy for Kraft, Big Shot, Cart-Us embossing folder (unknown name), Lifestyle Nesting Rectangle dies, Lifestyle Nesting Circle + Scallop Circle dies, Perfect Layers Tools, cardstock - pink

Punches:  EK Success Arrows border, Martha Stewart Lace Doily, Carl CP-8 Heart duo

Forever Friends Kraft Notes - 2 cards

Hi blogging friends

The weather has been absolutely crazy where I live:  days and days of extremely windy weather and I am just so tired of it and ready to move onto Spring.  I have been looking like the Abominable Snow-woman dressed in layers of clothes when I have had to venture out - yet I was still feeling like an iceberg as the wind has been so bitterly cold!  Somewhere in my travels, I have picked up a yucky virus and feeling pretty blah so only going out when I absolutely have to. 

I guess the up-side is that I have been very busy in my craft room and I am sharing 2 cards today:  the first card is a birthday card I made for my great-niece's 8th birthday and the second card is a Friendship/Get Well/Support card for a friend. 

I have been very good with using my stash of designer papers this year but when I saw the Forever Friends Kraft Notes range released by Docrafts earlier this year, I couldn't help myself:  I thought the range was so pretty and of course, being a teddy-bear lover, well.......need I say more LOL!!  And here is the result:

The main image is a topper from the A4 diecut toppers set.  As you can see, I added a couple of pink rhinestones to the flower centres and a pink button to the larger flower centre.  The buttons were glued on with Crafter's Pick Incredibly tacky glue.  I diecut a flower using a Die-namics Daisy die and only glued down the centre so I could bend the petals up then glued on another pink button.

All the layers were trimmed to 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Tools.  Kept everything very simple so it was a nice quick card.

By the way:  the pink layer between the kraft cardstock and designer paper is a sheet of pink paper from the Kraft Notes paper pad.

Whilst I still had all my gorgeous stash out, I made a 2nd card which I am giving to a very special lady who is currently undergoing some medical treatment and thought that the Teddy with the heart seemed to be the perfect image to say:  "Sending hugs and much love as you journey through your treatment".

The main image is from the Kraft Notes diecut A4 Decoupage - Special Day set.  Because everything was diecut, it was very easy to pop the pieces out and put them together with dimensionals. 

The sentiment is a freebie from an issue of Quick Cards Made Easy (from a couple of years ago) and I simply layered it onto light teal cardstock and hand-trimmed the border.  The hole was punched using a 3/16" circle punch.

Challenges:

I am entering my first card in the following challenges -

Papertake Weekly Challenge of Occasion-ally where you are to make a card for an occasion such as birthday, wedding, christening etc. 

Splitcoaststampers - Ways to Use It Challenge WT427 of May Flowers where you are to use a flower on your card.  There is no time limit to play SCS challenges and this challenge is from 16th May.

And I am entering both cards in the Crafty Creations Challenge of 'Make 2' where you need to make two cards, two tags, two scrapbook pages, two gift bags, two pieces of jewellery, etc . . . any type of craft is acceptable, as long as you "Make Two" (they don't have to be identical but they should have either the same style, colours, papers, images or pattern).

Thanks for stopping by! 

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Card No. 1 -

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer paper:  Docrafts Forever Friends Kraft Notes

Accessories:  Main image from Docrafts Forever Friends Kraft Notes A4 diecut toppers, Perfect Layers tools, Big Shot, My Favorite Things Die-namics Daisy die, twine by Doodlebug Valentines assortment, Fray Stop, pink buttons from stash, pink sewing thread, Crafter's Pick Incredibly tacky glue, tiny pink rhinestones by Molossi, cardstock - kraft

Punch:  EK Success Abstract Flower

Card No. 2 -

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Docrafts Forever Friends Kraft Notes

Accessories:  Docrafts Forever Friends Kraft Notes A4 decoupage pack - Special Day, dimensionals, twine by Doodlebug Valentines assortment, Perfect Layers Tools, Fray Stop, pink pearl - Hero Arts CH173 Hearts Accents pearls, sentiment - freebie from Quick Cards Made Easy magazine, cardstock - kraft, light teal

Punches:  EK Success Abstract Flower, Carl CP-1 3/16" circle

Lili of the Valley Teddy Topper friendship card

Hi blogging friends

I made a special thank you/friendship card for my beautiful friend C who has just been so amazing with her support of our family as we continue to go through the ups and downs of our loved one's ongoing medical condition.   I love our chats on the phone and because C loves cardmaking too, we have so much to talk about. 

One thing that I have found through caring for my loved one, is that it is very socially isolating; others move on with their busy lives and you get left behind because you have so little downtime: and you almost feel like your situation is "old news".   I honestly don't think I could have gone through all that we have without C - and I know, that if I am feeling down or I want to chat about anything, I can just reach for the phone and call C.    Knowing that I can ring someone who completely understands how I feel has been a tremendous help and made me feel not so alone.  Now that C has the card in her hot little hands, I can share it here on my blog:

The cute little teddy in his field of daisies is a Lili of the Valley (UK) Teddy Topper which has been retired as I cannot find it on their website anymore.  LOTV do have an EBay Outlet Store where they have lots of their retired toppers and if you are lucky enough, you might be able to find this topper.  You can find the link to their EBay Store HERE.  They do post to overseas but you have to ask for a quote first.  The sentiment is also by LOTV and was stamped using Versamagic Pretty Petunia chalk ink.  I used my Martha Stewart Lace Heart edge punch to punch the yellow heart (ie: the heart is the leftover punchie) which is popped up dimensionals.  I added Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue to the heart, butterfly and all the flower petals and the teddy's cheeks (not that you can see it in the photo as the weather was so dull and difficult for photography).  I corner-punched the topper using a SU corner punch.

The designer paper is digital by NitWit Collections -Just Ducky Too.  The white embossed base is a 6" x 6" embossing folder by Crafter's Companion - Floral EF6:  I love this large folder - so perfect for card bases for those of us who make square cards!  Just as an aside, Crafter's Companion have just released some Christmas 6" x 6" embossing folders - ohh, there are some really pretty ones and I have ordered the snowflakes one as I have wanted a larger snowflakes embossing folder forever!!   

The yellow ribbon was added in two separate elements and the bow itself was made with my Bow Easy; I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

Thanks for stopping by - have a fab weekend!

Jocelyn


Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Lili of the Valley UK - General Greetings Small ST063

Ink:  Versamagic Pretty Petunia chalk

Designer paper:  NitWit Collections - digital - Just Ducky Too - Copyright Mary Fran © 2006- 2013 Nitwit Collections™

Accessories:  Big Shot, Spellbinder Scalloped Square Nestabilities, My Favorite Things Die-namics Scallop edge die, Crafter's Companion Embossalicious Floral EF6 6" x 6" embossing folder, yellow organza ribbon, Fray Stop, Bow Easy, dimensionals, Perfect Layers Tools, Kindyglitz Crystalina glitter glue, cardstock - white, lavender

Punches:  Martha Stewart Lace Heart edge (yellow heart), Stampin' Up corner