Last Minute Entry For 'Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #174

I wanted to make another card for the  Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #174  because I love their sketches, this one was by Cindy L and this is her sketch

I also thought I would enter it into the Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge #2 - Embossing

This is my card

Supplies used:

Sissix - Fishtail Banners Dies & Embossing Folder
Spellbinders - Classic Diamonds Dies
Paula Pascual - Everyday Messages sentiment

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and for any comments, I always appreciate each and every one and will reciprocate where possible!  have a great week.  Hazel xx

A CASE'D Card for Fun!

Today, I thought I'd do something different and CASE one of my crafting inspirations Loll Thompson of StampingWithLoll  If you click on the name, it will take you straight to her amazing blog with all her wonderful designs.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find the actual card that I CASE'd - I had seen it on Pinterest quite a while ago now - but I'd always meant to try it!  If I find it again, I will link to it.

Of course, I've changed the design a bit and my card is nowhere near as clean and beautiful as Loll's, but it was mainly the little parcles that I wanted to recreate.

So, without further ado.  Here is my card.

I have never CASE'd a card before - it always felt like 'cheating' somehow and I do not wish to offend anyone by copying their work - but I couldn't resist those sweet little parcels.

Supplies used:

Various embossing folders, bakers twine, textured cardstock,
Neenha Solar White card base
Hero Arts background stamp.
Clearly Besotted 'Happy' die and the birthday part from their 'Little Sentimental' stamp set

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for any comments.  I will always reciprocate where possible.  have a great weekend.  Hazel x

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #174

Today's offering is for Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #174 - A  Sketch by Cindy H  and this is the sketch.

They always manage to come up with great sketches and this one is no exception.  It really makes our job a bit of a doddle!

This is my take.

First, I took my Simon Says Stamp 'Vent' die and ran it through twice on the diagonal.  Then I cut some flowers and leaves out of coloured cardstock and some vellum.  I sponged the edges of the petals and leaves to give it a little dimension.

Next, I blended some different shades of distress inks on to a strip of cardstock and mounted that behind the cut-outs for some colour and also to strengthen the top layer, where the vent die had weakend it.

I assembled everything together, stamped the sentiment and mounted the whole panel to a white base card using some fun foam for even more stability.  I finished off with a touch of my Wink Of Stella on the flower petals.

Supplies used:

Dies:  SSS, 'Vent', 'Leaf Cluster' and Lil' Inker, Flower
Sentiment:  Imagine That, 'Hello Sunshine'

As always, I appreciate you taking the time to visit today and for any comments.  I will reciprocate where possible!  have a lovely day/evening.  Hazel xx

CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge #110

My second post today!  This is for another attempt at the CAS(E) This Sketch challenge #110  I wasn't over the moon with the first one.

This is the sketch

I seem to be on a yellow kick at the moment, as I used two shades of yellow again for this card.  I used a Clearsnap stencil, with Colorbox, 'Canary' and 'Marigold' inks and sponged them through the stencil.

I finished off this CAS design with a sentiment from Altenew, 'Shadow Play' stamp set embossed on to black cardstock.  Then I added a gem to finish.

I was happier with this one!  I want to thank you for taking the time to visit today - especially if it's your second visit - and for any comments you might leave.  You are all truly appreciated and I will reciprocate wherever possible.  Have a good week!  Hazel xx

CAS Colours And Sketches Challenge #111

Today's card, is a little late for the challenge I want to enter it for, so I will get straight to it.  It is for the CAS Colours And Sketches Challenge #111 and this is their sketch

I would also like to take the opportunity to enter it into the CAS.ology Week #134 challenge, which calls for 'Monochrome'

Here is my card

First, I took two pieces of yellow cardstock - one slightly lighter than the other - and stamped the flower pattern, My Favorite Things, 'Desert Bouquet'  in differing shades of yellow, Stampin' Up, 'Crushed Curry' and 'Dafodil Delight'  and mounted them on to the card front following the sketch.

I finished it off by stamping the sentiment, Clearly Besotted, 'Many Messages'  and drawing two lines with a marker for definition and added some yellow holographic dots to the centers of the flowers.

As always, thanks for popping by and for any comments you leave, you are all truly appreciated and I will reciprocate where possible.  Have a great day my friends!  Hazel xx

Fit To Burst & The CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge #110

OMG!!  I can hardly believe it, when I looked through my blog reader today, I spied a familiar card . . . mine!  Kim, over at FMS has kindly chosen me as 'Queen Of Clean' this week!  Of course, I could never have made such a card without the amazing sketch that Kim produced for the challenge, so thank you Kim! 

You can see the other very worthy winners chosen by the other members of the DT HERE  Congratulations to you all ladies, all terrific entries.

Well, now to today's offering. 

This is for the CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge #110 and this is the sketch

Now, while my laptop was playing up and I couldn't get a lot done on the internet, I 'fiddled about' - as my DH calls it - and was trying out some different techniques and products and I ended up with this card.

First, I came up with the background by inking it lightly all over and spritzing with a home made shimmer spray and then when it was dry I used a rubber stamp that I bought years ago when I first started out in card making and randomly stamped the flower using first and second generation stamping.

Next, I had just received the daisy embossing folder by Darice, which was just lying there on my desk, so I tested it by running it through my Cuttlebug and then chalked over the raised areas with some more years old supplies.

Finally I fussy cut around a couple of the daisies to use as a corner accent, mounted them in the bottom left corner and added the sentiment which was from the Clearly Besotted, 'Many Mini Messages' stamp set and added one little white gem.

As ever, thank you for taking the time to visit and for any comments, which are always appreciated.  I do reciprocate where possible.  Have a lovely week!  Hazel xx

Fingers Crossed For Today's Post

What's the meaning of today's title, I hear you ask? . . . no? . . . well I'll explain anyway.  You may, or may not, have noticed I haven't posted for a few days.  This is down to my laptop playing havoc with the internet, it's been like a stubborn toddler, dropping connections, then picking it back up again, only to drop it again once it's lulled me into a false sense of security!!

Anywho, I had better get straight to it while it's having it's afternoon nap and doesn't realise I am trying to get work done.

This post is for Freshly Made Sketches #173  Which is this sketch by Kim.

I also thought I might link it to Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge #2, which is 'Embossing'

I will quickly explain how I did it.  First, I masked off a panel to the right of the card and taped a stencil down to the left and used white embossing paste to emboss a border as per the FMS sketch.

Next, I stamped the Lotus Flower image onto a smaller panel and then added the sentiment along the side of that panel - this was my only slight deviation, or different interpretation of the sketch.  I finally finished off with a couple of pearls.

All supplies will be listed below the pics.  This is my card.

As always, I appreciate you taking the time to visit my little blog and I appreciate all your comments and will reciprocate where possible.

Supplies used:

Stencil - Memory Box, 'Rhapsody'
Dies - Lil' Inker, 'Stitched Rectangles'
Stamps - Stampin' Up, 'Lotus Blossom', Lil' Inker, 'All About The Ampersand'
Inks - Stampin' Up, 'Crushed Curry', 'Daffodil Delight', Memento, 'Pear Tart', 'Bamboo Leaves' and Versafine, 'Onyx Black'

Playing With Old Supplies

Lately, most of my card making has been done using new supplies, stamps, dies and everything else, because I have been going mad and purchasing all the 'latest and greatest'.  

Well today, I was trying to file my newest acquistions and was making room - who am I kidding, pushing things around trying to make it look like I have more room - I'm surely going to have to take over the second 'child's' bedroom, now they are grown and gone, I've already taken over the first (they're very small rooms though . . . honest!)

Anywho, I came across my old daisy punches in various sizes and idly punched out a few . . . well, then I just couldn't bring myself to throw them away, so I layered them up, stuck a stamen punch-out in the center, fluffed and sponged the petals, added a couple of punched-out leaves and voila, I had a daisy (I'd almost forgotten how quick and easy it was to grab a punch and have a flower just seconds later).  Of course I now had to do something with the flower I had and below is what I finished up with.

I've deliberately left it without a sentiment as I had no idea that I was going to make this card.  I will make a descision when I give it to someone at a later date.

I never did get that room looking any tidier . . . quite the reverse in fact, because you know what it's like when you disturb a pile of anything that has accumulated over time . . . it grows exponentially and you can never get that space back again!!??!!

As always, thanks for stopping by and for any comments, I truly appreciate you all and will reciprocate where possible.  Have a great weekend!  Hazel xx

Happy Little Stampers - CAS Challenge - Embossing & HLS February Sketch Challenge

A 'TooFer' today ladies - Two For One - I don't know if my lovely US readers has this saying, or whether, they thought I was going mad . . . probably the latter and they are probably right!  

Anywho, I didn't have a particular design in mind when I started out to create this card, so it was actually serendipity that it happend to fit with  both of the challenges over at HLS! HLS is rapidly becoming my most favourite challenge site!

The CAS challenge can be found by clicking on this badge

And if you click on the sketch below, it will take you to the sketch challenge

This is what I came up with.  It has all three types of embossing, embossing paste, heat embossing and dry embossing,  

First I made my own stencil cut out of acetate by using a die (sorry, another one from before I used to catalogue my supplies)

Then, I made some soft pink embossing paste with white paste and a little distress ink mixed in and spread it over my home made stencil on to a white card front and sprinkled it with irridescent embossing powder and let it air dry.  Once it was dry I heat set the irridescnt EP with my heat gun.

The next step was to run one of my SSS, 'Stitched Hillside Border' dies to make a curved, stitched edge and mounted it on to a piece of matching pink cardstock that I had run through the Craft Too, 'Bringing' EF.

I finished it off with the die-cut 'Love' word from Clearly Besotted and this is my finished card.

As always, I appreciate the time you have given to popping by and thank you all for your comments and reciprocate where possible.  Have a lovely weekend!  Hazel xx