Birthday Cake

Hello there, I am back today to share a card using one of the alcohol ink background pieces I made when I made my brother's birthday card last week. This card looks extremely simple but it did take longer to put together than it looks!

 

 

I created my background by adding various shades of blue and turquoise alcohol inks on to a non-stick craft mat. I then added over some blending solution. I took a piece of Yupo paper and dripped this in to it face down. I then set this piece aside to dry.

 

 

I took the largest SSS Stitched Rectangle die and cut the panel out. I then ran this through again cutting the MFT Happy Birthday Centrepieces die with it. Using the negative piece of the die cut (the individual letters being the positive), I added foam tape to the back of the piece (this look ages!) and adhered it to a white A2 card base.

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store.
 

 

The great thing with this die is that I can get another card out of it, using the positive letter pieces. Thanks so much for popping by to see me today. I hope you have a great weekend!

Hello, Friend

Hello there, today I have a card to share using the adorable Stand Tall set from Clearly Besotted. The giraffes are so very cute and I love the little turtles too!

 

I started off by stamping the giraffe and turtle using Memento Tuxedo Black. I coloured them using Copic Markers and then fussy cut them out with scissors leaving a small white border. I then took a piece of white cardstock and cut this using one of the circles from the SSS Stitched Circles die collection. I lightly blended over Tumbled Glass Distress Ink for the sky and Mowed Lawn and Twisted Citron for the grass. I flicked over a little water (difficult to see in the photo) and set this aside to dry.

 

 

I took a piece of paper from the MFT Itsy Bitsy Polka Dot paper pad and cut this with a SSS Stitched Rectangle die. This was adhered to a card base made from Hero Arts Decorative Woodgrain cardstock, with tape runner. I then adhered the circle piece with thin foam squares. I added the giraffe and turtle on top, also with thin foam squares. I stamped the sentiment from the Tiny Type set on to white cardstock, heat embossed in white and cut into strips. Again these were added with foam tape to the card. I added Tonic Nuvo Glaze to the giraffe's spots and the turtle's shell. I also added white gel pen to their eyes. To finish off, I added a few Enchanting sequins from Lucy's Cards.

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store.
 

 

COPIC MARKERS: Giraffe - YR27, YR24, YR23, Y19, E19, E08, E13. Turtle - YG67, YG17, YG23, YG07, YG05, YG03, YG01.

 

Thank you so much for popping by to see me today. I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a great day and rest of the week!

Happy Birthday To You

Hello there, today I have a card to share that I made for my brother for his birthday. I wanted to combine alcohol ink somewhere on it so I went to town creating lots of backgrounds with various shades of alcohol ink. I ended up with quite a few different backgrounds which I am hoping to make into cards in the next few weeks. I ended up using one of the more dotty design pieces on this card and loved how it looked after die cutting it.

 

I started off creating my alcohol ink piece. I first took a piece of Yupo paper and added various shades of blue and turquoise/aqua colours to it. I also added in some dots with the blending solution too. Once completed, I set this aside to dry. I then ran it through my Cuttlebug with the MFT Happy Birthday To You die. I also die cut the same die using white cardstock twice.

 

 

I took a white A2 card base and embossed the front using the SSS Chevron Pattern Die (sadly this has been discontinued so I have linked a very similar MFT die instead). I then stacked up the die cut letters and added them to the card, using the negative piece as a guide to line them up. I had planned on using the negative piece on a separate card but I didn't like how it came out so I decided to use the pieces and cut some stars from it. I used three sizes of the Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Stars dies. These were added to the card with foam tape. To finish off, I added three PPP Clear Droplets with Multi Medium Matte.  

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store.
 

 

SSS Chevron Pattern Die - discontinued

 

I am looking forward to using some of the other backgrounds I made with alcohol inks. I love that you can use the same colours and the background comes out differently every time! Thanks so much for visiting me today. I hope you have a great week!

Country Road

Hello there, today I have another card to share using the super cute stamps from Purple Onion Designs which currently have a fabulous sale on. More details of that below :)

 

 

For my card, I started off by stamping Free Spirits (Fox and Frog on Bicycle) on to a white card panel. I stamped the image again on to masking paper, cut out and added this on top of the first image. I then stamped the Country Road Background on to the panel. I removed the mask and then coloured the image with Copic Markers. I first coloured the background using shades of green for the grass and trees and then shades of brown for the path. I tried to create some texture on it using dots. The fox, bicycle and frog were then coloured. I added black glaze pen to the fox's eyes.

 

 

I took the 'waving hello' sentiment from the Journey Sentiments Set and stamped this on to a strip of white cardstock. I then created a ribbon end on one side. The image panel was added to a white A2 card base with ATG and then the sentiment banner was added with foam tape. To finish off, I added a few sparkly gumdrops around the sentiment banner.

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the shop logo below the product to shop at your favourite store.
 

 

COPIC MARKERS - Grass: G46, G43, G40. Trees: G85, G82, YG17, YG23, YG03, YG01. Path: E44, E43, E42, E41, E40. Sky: B45, B41, B32, B21, B14, B12, B00, B000. Bike: V28, V25, V22, C3, C1, C0. Fox: W7, W6, W5, W3, W2, W2, W1, W0. Frog: YG07, YG05, YG01.

 

Like I mentioned above, Purple Onion Designs currently have a sale on ...

That's right! All stamps are currently 25% off so if you have been putting off making an order, now is the time to do it! For more inspiration using these stamps, please head over to the Purple Onion Designs blog. Thanks so much for visiting me today. I hope you have a great day!

Dream Big

Hello there, I am over on the Hero Arts Blog today, along with my teamie Amy. We are sharing ideas using some of the fabulous add-on products that were release with the August My Monthly Hero kit on Monday. My card uses the Dream Big stamp set. I used the girl from the set, I added the planet balloons so that she was holding them and then created a background using Copic Markers with the airbrush system.

 

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store.
 

 

COPIC MARKERS: Galaxy background - 110, C9, RV17, Y08, B79, B04, V05, YG07. Girl - Skin: E13, E11, E00, E000, R11. Hair: E47, E25, E23. Outfit: B04, B02, B00, B000. Planets: Y35, Y32, E30 / E44, E43, E42, E41 / B95, B93, B91, G43, G40 / B16, B14, B12 / B69, B66, B63 / R89, R37, R32 / V28, V25, V22, V20 / E30, Y13, Y11, Y00 / E33, E31, E30 / W4, W1, W0. Ground - W5, W3, W2, W1, W0.

 

For more details on how I made the card, please head over to the blog post here. I love how the galaxy background turned out and I will have to remember to use my airbrush for that again! Thanks so much for visiting me today. I hope you have a great day!

Hero Arts August 2017 My Monthly Hero Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, today we are celebrating the release of the My Monthly Hero August 2017 kit from Hero Arts. The kit has a wonderful night sky/celestial feel to it. You get one large stamp set in the kit, along with coordinating dies and some fabulous metallic sprays (plus lots more!).

 

For the hop, you should have arrived here from the fabulous Amy but if you get lost along the way, I have the full list of participants below.

 

 

I started off by creating the background for my card. I wanted to use the wonderful sprays in the kit as they have a lovely metallic shine to them. I thought they would make a nice night sky background. I took a piece of watercolour paper and first sprayed on some Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Teal and Ocean (I wanted some lighter shades for the base). I then spritzed on the Metallic Blueberry Mist from the kit and let all the colours meld together. Once this was half dry, I took the Gold Shimmer Mist from the kit and added some splatters. I then set the piece aside to dry.

 

 

I took the girl flying that is in the stamp set and stamped her on to some white cardstock with Intense Black Ink. I then cut her out using the coordinating die. I also die cut a pice of vellum using one of the Nesting Hearts dies. I prepped the vellum with anti-static powder and then stamped the sentiment on to it using Versamark Ink. I applied white embossing powder and then heat set. Once the background was dry, I cut it down using one of the Rectangle Infinity dies.

 

 

I wrapped the heart vellum piece around the background and then adhered this on to a white A2 card base with tape runner. I added a little tape runner on to the vellum piece to adhere it to the card and then added the girl on top (so that you can't see the adhesive) with foam tape. To finish off, I added Ombre Blue sequins along with gemstones.

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store.

THE KIT:

 

The August My Monthly Hero Kit contains:

 

6" x 8" Clear Stamp Set

11 Coordinating Frame Cuts

1 Fancy Window Die

1.5 oz Celestial Sequins

1 Metallic Blueberry Mist

1 Gold Shimmer Mist

1 Stencil (5.25" x 6.5")

3 5" x 7" Assorted Patterned Celestial Papers

 

That is an amazing $77 worth of products for only $34.99 (approx. £28.00). Remember that the kits are limited edition and often sell out quickly. There is a subscription service so that you never miss a kit. If you are an international subscriber, you get money off shipping too!

 

As always, there are some fabulous add-on products this month too. These are not limited edition and can be purchased from your favourite Hero Arts retailer, as well as the Hero Store. Here is a look at them:

 

 

BLOG HOP:

Here is a the full list of participants in the hop:

 

Hero Arts Blog

Jennifer McGuire

Nichol Spohr

Wanda Guess

Ilina Crouse

May Park

Yana Smakula

Lydia Fiedler

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Amy Tsuruta

Michelle Short

Libby Hickson
 

GIVEAWAY:

Hero Arts are giving away one kit as a prize to one lucky blog reader. The winner is selected from the comments across all of the blogs in the hop. The more comments you leave, the more chance you have to win! If the winner has already bought the kit, they will be reimbursed for it. Giveaway closes Sunday, 13th August at 11.59pm.

 

Nest on the hop is the fabulous Libby. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you enjoy the last stop on the hop and have a great rest of the day!

A New Chapter Awaits

Hello there, today I have the pleasure of joining the Purple Onion Designs team to share the great news that there is a sale running over on the site. You can get 25% off all stamps starting from today! If you have been putting off making that order, now is the time to put it in!

 

For my card, I started off by taking a panel of white cardstock and cutting the top using one of the MFT Stitched Scallop Basic Edges dies. I then took Zoey (Bunny Reading) and stamped her on to the panel using Memento Tuxedo Black. I took the 'a new chapter awaits' sentiment from the Great News Sentiments set and stamped this above Zoey.

 

 

I coloured Zoey in using Copic Markers, also adding some ground for to lay on (the colours I used are listed below the supplies section). I took a white A2 card base and added a sheet of paper from the MFT Hearts & Stripes Paper Pad on to the front panel. I then added the image panel on top with foam tape. To finish off, I added black glaze pen to Zoey's eye and nose.

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the shop logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. Products marked with an asterisk (*) were kindly sent to me to use.
 

 

COPIC MARKERS - Bunny: E57, E55, E53, E53, E51, R11, R00. Ground: W5, W3, W2, W1, W00. Book: B0000, G82, E53, E51, E41.

 

For more inspiration using these stamps, please had over to the Purple Onion Designs Blog. The sale runs from today until the 16th August and includes all stamps. Thanks so much for visiting me today. I hope you have a great day!

August My Monthly Hero

Hello there, I am over on the Hero Arts Blog today sharing a card using the new August My Monthly Hero kit. The kit launches on Monday 7th August at 1pm EST/10am PT/6pm GMT and it is a great one! I love the night sky/space theme!

 

 

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. Products marked with an asterisk (*) were kindly sent to me to use.
 

 

My card uses one of the fabulous image from the kit, along with a background created with Alcohol Inks and Copic Opaque White. For details on how I made the card, please head over to the blog post over on the Hero Arts Blog. While you are there, remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a kit! Thanks so much for visiting me today, I hope you have a great weekend!

A Look Back Over The Last 10 Years

Hello there, today marks 10 years of blogging for me. When I first started a blog, they were fairly new things to have. I wasn't sure if anyone would ever read it or want to see my cards but thankfully, some of you did! :) I am so grateful to everyone who comes and has a look at my little card grotto and leaves me such lovely comments, they truly do the mean the world to me.

A lot has changed over the last 10 years, I feel less people visit blogs now due to the increase in social media. That is a shame but I am really grateful to social media too. I have made some lovely friends through Instagram, in particular, and its opened up a whole new community to me.

I still, however, enjoy blogging my cards. I love that it is all in one place and everyone can find things here. I still enjoy visiting blogs too, although sadly I do not seem to get to have much time to leave comments recently. I really want to try harder at that.

Do you have a blog? Have you been blogging long? Have you noticed many changes over the years? I have to be honest, when I started I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep it up this long but having it here, all in one place, I can see how I have improved my card making over the years.

I have always been a clean and simple card maker. I really love stamping and colouring and that will never change, at least I do not think so! I have been really blessed to work with some amazing companies and people over the years. I have had the pleasure of being on a few Design Teams and also Guest Designing too.

 

I am truly grateful for the opportunities that I have been given and I really hope that those continue. I am always trying to improve my colouring or improve things here and there but ultimately, I still enjoy what I do and that's what matters!

I did originally want to have a giveaway today, to celebrate that I am still here, 10 years later, still blogging but sadly I didn't organise anything in time. I am so sorry about that. 10 years has really creped up on me! I will do something soon though.

I hope you have enjoyed a look back at some of my favourite cards that I have made over the last 10 years. A lot of them are more recent makes but a few are older (the photos can be clicked on to show a bigger image). Once again, thank you so much for being here. Whether you have been with me since the start or only a few weeks, I really appreciate it. I hope you have a great day!

Birthday Flowers

Hello there, today I have a card to share using two of the new sets from Clearly Besotted. I have used On Your Day for the large floral image. The set comes with lots of fabulous wedding themed sentiments but as you can see, the image works really well for a birthday card too, if you change up the sentiment.

 

I started off by taking a piece of TH watercolour paper and stamping the image using Versamark Ink. I then applied white embossing powder and heat set. The image was coloured using Tonic Nuvo Aqua Flow Pens (the colours I used are listed below the supplies section). I have used these pens before but for creating backgrounds, this time I decided to use them to colour the image and they worked really well.

 

 

The image panel was cut down using the rectangle ME Femme Frames die and then added to a Fog A2 card base with foam tape. The sentiment is from the Tiny Type set. I stamped this with Versamark into a piece of black cardstock. I applied white embossing powder, heat set and then cut in to a strip. This was added to the card with foam tape also. To finish off, I added a few Iridescent sequins from Lucy's Cards.

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the card. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. Products marked with an asterisk (*) were kindly sent to me to use.
 

 

AQUA FLOW PENS: Purple flower - Lilac Blossom. Pink flower - Soft Rose, Red Apple. Leaves - Fresh Green, Aqua Splash, Evergreen Fern. Background - Azure Blue + Zig Clean Color 36 Light Blue.

 

I really hope you are enjoying the new stamps from Clearly Besotted. I see a lot of you already have your orders :) Thanks so much for popping by to see me today. I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a great day!

We Have A Winner ...

Hello there, apologies for the delay in getting this post up. First of all, thank you to everyone that entered my giveaway. Thank you also for the lovely comments wishing me well with my Revalidation. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel now! It was interesting to hear what everyone is excited about at the moment, it seems a lot of you are excited about the new Distress Oxide inks :)

 

So on to the winner ...

 

 

Peggy, could you please email me (using the link in my sidebar) and send me your address so I can get your new goodies to you as soon as possible. Thank you again to everyone who entered. I hope you have a great day!

VIDEO | Clearly Besotted August 2017 Release Preview

Hello there, today I have a video to share showing the new release from Clearly Besotted. It will be available to purchase in the Clearly Besotted Shop (UK based, ships worldwide) and also at Simon Says Stamp (US based, ships worldwide) at 10am BST today.

 

 

There are 18 stamps in this release and they are all fabulous! There is lots of lovely large floral images, fabulous sentiments sets plus some cute sets too. I share a look at them in the video here:

 

 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to the products that I shared in the video. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store.

 

What do you think? What are your must haves? I will be sharing some cards using them soon but in the mean time, please head over to my teamies Stephanie, Keren and Debby for some inspiration. Thanks so much for visiting me today, happy shopping!