Hoppy Birthday Froggy

 

I used a sketch from Cheerful sketches for this one.  Sometimes when you get a bit stuck with an image or layout a sketch is helpful.  I like making cards that tell a story too. 

My aim for this one was to use the sketch and also my last precious piece of lovely chevron patterned paper.  I like the mix of greens too... fun.  I'm sure froggy's fave colour is green, even though Kermit says "it's not easy being green".  

Everything from stash, nothing new here.  Lots of snippets from my Bitz Box.  Most stuff used is probably more than 10 years old.

Lots of patterned paper from my Bitz Box, cut to shape.  A Waffle Flower sentiment stamped and embossed on a diecut vellum stitched circle. A frog diecut, inked and gilded with 3D Kindyglitz.  A lily pad made with a sand dollar diecut and some rushes for froggy to hide in.  I think the vellum looks like a pool.

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girlzcreativefun-24-p.papers 

paper-rocks-scissors-19 papers & scissors to cut smaller papers

pixiessnippetsplayground-538 

tgifchallenges-588-bonus-inspiration my eye went straight to the all green card

cardz4guyz-388-summer-theme 

Out of Office

 

Who doesn't love animals?  All kinds, any kind.  Your favourite or your NOT so favourite.

We'd love to see you at Critter Crazy for some animal indulgence, here:  crittercrazychallenges

I made this for our daughter who had surgery in late July and will be 6 weeks off work for recovery.  This is to make her smile.  She likes heat and sunshine.

I don't know what the stamp is, but it is fun.  I coloured it with Copics and used some Ranger Stickles to make the water sparkle.  The panel has a scored border to frame it, and a hanging partial diecut tag for the sentiment which came with the stamp.

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Wild Day

 

Today is a real midwinter day here in NZ, waking to  a frost for the third day in a row.  At least we have beautiful clear sunny days afterward.  Today at midday it's warm enough to have the patio sliding doors open and hang the washing out.

This CAS card used an embossing folder (woodgrain Sizzix), and diecuts from Lawn Fawn.  I found a tiny diecut stamped sentiment in my Bitz Box which suited the theme perfectly.  I debated whether to ink the tree trunks but decided the kraft had enough texture, and it would lose it's crispness.  I like the white with kraft together and the tiny red bird is special.

This would be a good one for a male birthday -  not too fussy and lots of contrast.

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Gull

 

Gulls are food opportunists, this one has stolen a chip/french fry from someone - literally seized the day.  Cheeky!

The base card is pearlised and a bit sparkly.  A panel smooshed and splattered at the bottom with Ranger Distress Inks in blues, and a small smooshed snippet salted and splattered with white gouache paint, both arches wafer nesting die shapes.  The gull is diecut and layered from odd snippets/scraps, coloured with Copics.  I made a chip freehand, and it's a snippet too.  The gull, sentiment and small panel are popped up on foam tape.

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Friends

 

The image is a House Mouse stamp, coloured with Copics, then fussy cut.  Background is a pretty dotty patterned paper (MyMindsEye) diecut with cloud edge.  The stars are sequin material.  Image & sentiment are popped up on foam squares.  White pen highlights.

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Tulip Wishes

 

A background stencilled with DI's, a stamped, stencilled and diecut tulips, arranged as a bouquet in layers, and tied up with a bow.  The sentiment is embossed in gold, dots are drop-outs from a die.  All colouring is Ranger Distress Inks.

Another card for Parkinson's fundraising.

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Sweetest

 

At a recent workshop held by a Masters student from the local polytech, we free-painted watercolours on A3 paper.  I chopped up the page into 8 pieces and are using it for backgrounds.  The watercolour paints were student grade, nothing fancy.

I used a black & white image from my bitz box (no idea where it's from) of a pear, fussy cut it and popped it up against the background.  I chose this background because it was pear coloured mostly.  The sentiment is also from my bitz box, a stamp I think?  Using up stash.

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Lots of fun, trying different techniques in watercolour on A3 watercolour paper.

Can you spot where the background is cut from?

Sympathy Roses

 

Some more stuff from my Bitz Box.  I don't know any details of the product as they are really old and I've had them for years (very neglected, prob. 20 years?).  The floral panel had a centre piece and also pages with the same image to cut and layer in stages ( I don't know what it's called), which shows better in the side-on pic.  I think it may have been a kit of some kind.  I liked the gentle colours and they cried out for pearls embellishment.

Not my usual style, but I enjoyed working with a different process, and of course, using up some stash.

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thesisterhoodofcrafters-july-flowers 

i-spy-with-my-little-eye-something-with wings bee & butterfly

ellibelles-garden-party-no-17-anything garden

beautifulblossoms43-anyfloral

Yesterday

 

I recently went to a class run by a masters student at the local polytech.  We tried all kinds of free drawing and paint exploration.  At the end of the class we were encouraged to use some of what we did to make a collage. 

 One exercise was using charcoal we had to draw without looking at the paper.  The queen was a woman sitting opposite me, the figure on the right was a wooden mannikin, the queen's hat was a vase of flowers on the table, as were the wooden blocks.  So I cut them all up and rearranged them.  The other stuff from a magazine.  The background was an exercise exploring how watercolour behaves.  The drawings were coloured with watercolour paint.  Lots of fun.  Size is about A3.

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Peanuts Lucy

 

The NZ cardswap this month is 3-2-1 : 3 patt.papers, 2 word sentiment, 1 image.  I hope my swap buddy likes it.

I used a sketch from Cheerful Sketches

The stamp is a mag freebie from Practical Publishing, coloured with Copics.  The base card is a linen finish and I scored a border around the front to frame it.  The papers are from my scrap/snippets box, and I added some white & black pen detail.   I kept it simple by stamping & embossing the sentiment onto one of the strips.  Lucy is stamped, coloured with Copics, fussy cut and popped up on foam and I gave her some little freckles.  Finished with frosted pearls.

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pixiessnippetsplayground-536 snippet strips from box

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Birdday on a Wire

 

I made a inked background by smooshing with DI's (worn lipstick, chipped sapphire).  Then diecut the framed scene to go on it, trimmed to size.  Placed on a white panel then on a black base card.  The sentiment is a cornerwise stamp.  Gems added.

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colorfuloptions-july-redwhiteblue

cupcakeinspirations-639-redwhiteblue

https://simplycascards-july-birthday

cutitupchallenges-360-create-your-ownbackground

Oh Knit

 

My friend is a knitter, she knits and knits and knits, then knits some more.  This is for her birthday next month.

A knitted EF for the background inked letterpress style in  DI's Speckled Egg.  A knitted heart stamped on smooshed card with Perfect Pearls mist and then fussy cut; a stamped sentiment heat embossed with Ranger Distress EP.  Doodled borders on sentiment strip, and gems.

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addictedtostamps&more--521-make-your-mark

Knits for toddler

 

Between my daily activities, cardmaking & quilting, I knit.  These days I mainly knit for charity, trying to use up my yarn stash.  I made this sweater & hat for a care worker's little boy.  Since taking the photo I have added a pompom to the hat.  

This is a great pattern for little ones as it has the shoulder opening to make it easy to put on.  It includes a sweater, jacket and hat.  The pattern is Sirdar 3100, sizes 0 - 6 years, and would be good for someone with a basic knowledge of knitting as it is an easy knit design.

The two other jumpers will go to the hospital with some hats & slippers.  Apparently a lot of kids turn up at hospital with nothing.

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asyoulikeit-favourite-non-card-project-and-why  I can knit while watching TV, is very relaxing.  Nice to make something useful  for others.

Wishes on Water

 

I made this card for a gentleman who has gone to a rest home.  In his life he has always been an outdoors person, so I thought he would like this.

Stamped image, ink blended water & sky area in blue and tree area in green using Ranger Distress Inks. Misted with Perfect Pearls for a bit of sparkle.  Mat in green, diecut sentiment with shadow.  Stamp & diecut unknown.

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Peanuts Some Birdie

I made this to give husband Ian for our wedding anniversary - 57 years!

Peanuts image mag freebie from Practical publishing, coloured with Copics, EF with little flowers.  Stickles for sparkle.  Background panel stencilled with metallic watercolour paints.

Inside it says ME!  with my personal message to him.

He encourages my craft and always appreciates a handmade card.

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heartsquestchallenge-86-w-awahg-theme B&W

Woof Birthday

 

We always love to have your animal creations trot, fly, slide or swim over to show off at Critter Crazy, visit us here: crittercrazy

Welcome to our next Challenge here at Critter Crazy Challenge with our theme "Anything Goes with a Featured Critter."

We want to see animals as the focus - whether real or fantasy! 

And also don't forget to check in on the last day of the month to see if you are a winner or a DT-Favourite! 

A card for a dog-lover.  I made it for a man's birthday.

The stamps are all Inkadinkado.  I added an ombre strip/snippet of paper for this Woofy to sit on, and another at the top for the tag to sit on.  I re-discovered my goggly eyes (no, they weren't lost, just hiding from me) which was a happy addition for this pooch.  Also diecut tag and black ribbon.

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Dare to Be

 

Our local NZ cardmakers internet group have a monthly swap and June is for stencils.  How handy that I have stencils and love using them.  

Here I combine two different ones plus a bit of masking for ground.  The background uses pearly watercolour paint to colour the stencil and the people one uses brown Rust Effect artExtravagance texture paste, with one person (yes you Dawn) standing out in gold (metallic rub-on Craf-T Products).  The bottom is masked and uses watercolour paint.  The stamped sentiment (Tracy Evans) like a typewriter is cut in strips to add texture and layer.  The metallic gold rub-on accentuates the texture.

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addictedtostamps&more-520-diecuts-andor-stencils

asyoulikeit-favourite-colour-combo-2-colours-why I like blue and brown together, nature colours: sky & earth.

colorfuloptions-june-tiffanyblue + brown

simonsaysstamp/wednesday-simon-says-anything-goes 

justusgirls-829-stencil