Make My Monday: Embossing - Wet or Dry

Good morning.  It's time for another challenge at Make My Monday, and this week's theme is embossing.  You have a choice of either wet or dry embossing.

I've chosen dry embossing for my card.  I started off by creating embossed panels with white and lilac card using embossing folders, then layered them onto a slightly darker purple.  Then I added some coordinating ribbon.  (The ribbon looks a bit grey in the photo, but is much more purple in real life!)

I die cut and embossed some flowers and coloured with Promarkers in matching shades of purple/lilac.  I shaped them using an embossing tool and a foam mat, and finished them off with pearl centres.  Finally I added a printed sentiment.

I hope you can join us this week at Make My Monday.

Sian. xxx

Cardz 4 Galz: April Showers

It's time for a new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz.  This week's theme is April Showers. 

I've used a digi stamp by Cute as a Button for my card.  This is a 7" x 7" card, as I thought she would look too tiny on a smaller one.  This is a size I've only used a few times so far, but I think I like it.  It allows you to use a slightly bigger image, but without having too much space.  (I am not a fan of 8" x 8" as I think it's just a bit too big, probably because I spent a lot of time making ATCs so am used to working on a very small scale).

I coloured my image using Prismacolor pencils.  I think they're just about winning over the Polychromos, but only because they have a better selection of colours.

I layered my image onto patterned papers and added some die cut flowers with pearl centres. 

I hope you can join us this week at Cardz 4 Galz.

Sian. xxx

Cardz 4 Guyz: World Book Day

Good morning.  Today's challenge theme at Cardz 4 Guyz is World Book Day.  You have a choice of either using a book on your card or making a card based on a book title and telling us what book it is.

Readers from the UK may be wondering why World Book Day is this week's theme.  Well, apparently World Book Day is celebrated everywhere except the UK on 23rd April.  (We do like to be different).  Here it's celebrated on the first Thursday in March, the reason being  so that it doesn't clash with the school Easter Holidays.

I created my card using a lovely image by Bloobel Stamps called Inky Bookworm.  I hope you like him!  I wanted the main focus to be on the image here, so I coloured him really brightly and kept my embellishments to a minimum.  I coloured my image with Polychromos Pencils.

I hope you can join us this week at Cardz 4 Guyz.

Sian. xxx

Make My Monday: In the Garden

Good morning.  Today's theme at Make My Monday is In the Garden.  The flowers on my card are stamps by Paperartsy.  I also used a Crafter's Companion stamp for the background script and a mini stencil by Creative expressions for the circles.

I started off by stamping the flowers then painted over them with masking fluid.  I left the masking fluid to dry overnight - a first for me, I think - I HATE having to leave things to dry.

My next step was to create the background.  I started off by blending distress inks then splashed it with water.  I also added some Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Powders.  This time I didn't leave it to dry - I blasted it with a heat gun.

Next I stamped the script in Distress Ink and then added the circles using my stencil and some Distress Oxide ink.  I also added some Distress Oxide around the edges.

I peeled off the masking fluid and then watercoloured the flowers with Distress Inks.  I think I need a bit more practice at this technique because I don't think I managed to get enough depth on the flower petals.  Maybe I'll stick with my pencils!  I am however reasonably pleased with the end result.

I hope you can join us this week at Make My Monday.

Sian.  xx

Cardz 4 Galz: Black, White and Bright

Hello.  It's time for another challenge at Cardz 4 Galz.  It was my turn to choose the theme this week and I chose black, white and bright - make a card using black and white with one bright colour.

I created my card using a stamp by Crafter's Companion which I have had in my stash for a few years now.  I thought he would be perfect for this theme.  I coloured my image with Prismacolor pencils and layered it onto patterned papers.  I embellished my card with a hand tied ribbon bow and some paper flowers with button centres.

I hope you can join us for this week's challenge at Cardz 4 Galz.

I woudl like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Craft Rocket Challenges
Crafting with an Attitude

Sian. xx

Cardz 4 Guyz: Travel or Transport

Good morning.  Today's theme at Cardz 4 Guyz is travel or transport.  I was really happy to have this theme to work to because it gave me a chance to use a fantastic stamp which has been sitting on my desk for a while waiting for the right opportunity for me to use it.

I made my card using a stamp by Stamposaurus, which I stamped on kraft card and coloured with Polychromos pencils.  I kept this one simple because I wanted the image to be the main focus, so I just layered it onto card and patterned paper and added some Card Candi dots.

I hope you can join us this week at Cardz 4 Guyz. 

Sian.

Make My Monday: Things with Wings

Good morning.  Today's challenge at Make My Monday is Things with Wings.  I decided to make a set of two cards using this lovely bee die, which is an Intricuts die by Hobbycraft.  I love these dies.  The designs are beautiful and they're really good quality too.

For each card, I die cut the bee three times, from black card, yello w card and an irridescent white card.

Then I used both the positive and negative die cuts to piece together the bee.  I love how it's turned bout, but this really did take a very long time, particularly when I did the wings.  I wanted the bees to be the main focus of my cards, so I layered them onto card and patterned paper, just adding a few paper flowers at the corners.   The patterned papers I've used on these cards are some very old Papermania papers that I must have had in my stash from not long after I started card making.  I think I must have had them about 12 years!  (I still don't have enough papers though).  I hope you can join us this week at Make My Monday.

I would like to enter my cards in the following challenges:

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Catz

Sian.