Thank You Card

I cased this card from Tami Mayberry's blog and used Creative Memories paper for it.  The sentiment is from the Hero Arts set called Say it All and it was die cut using a Clear Dollar die which appears to be retired.  The Spellbinders die behind it is Labels Four and the uncharateristic (for me) bling is from Basic Grey's Bling It.

Peachy Keen / Cottage Cutz - Sunny Flowers

Going through my stash I found a couple of completed projects ready to pop onto a card and this was one of them.  I just had to find some leaves and the Sizzix Little Leaves die seemed to be the right size. 

The sentiment is from the Hero Arts set called Hugs and it was die cut onto Spellbinders Circles.

Sizzlits Decorative Strip

This hedgehog image looks like a Penny Black one but I have been through my stamps and cannot the set it came from.  If I do come across it I will update the post.  Anyway, it was coloured in using a blender pen with Distress and Momento markers.

After cutting the image out it was glued onto a Stampin Up scalloped circle which was in turn glued onto the Tim Holtz Sizzlits Decorative Strip.  I find the small circles which come with the strip die are not adequate to hold it together so I used sticky strip (I think that is what they call the red double sided tape) and the larger scalloped circle.  The background paper is from Creative Memories and the sentiment is from the Justrite Birthday Sentiments set.  This was die cut using a Spellbinders circle die.  The ink used for the sentiment is Archival Coffee.  I tried a number of different inks with this particular stamp and not sure if it was the paper but I struggled to get a halfway decent image.

Art Impressions - Surprise Keepers

This is the first time I have used a full Art Impression Card Keeper stamp set and next time I think I might have to adjust the measurements to fit the gift card into the slot.  Not sure if our gift cards are larger here in South Africa or perhaps my measurements were off (very possible) but I ran out of space and had to make a cut in the inside of the card to slot the gift card into.  Saying all that, it is definitely one of the better ways to present a gift card.

I paper pieced the box and coloured in the ribbon using Smooch.  The image was coloured in using markers and the sentiment is a Clear Dollar one.

Kaszazz - Mannequin

I had to purpose make this card as the Kaszazz Mannequin stamp set is quite large.  The background is an unknown embossing folder - don't know why so many companies do not identify their products but it does have a slot in the top.  Anyway, I used Distress ink with the embossing folder to create a more authentic 'brick' like background.

The Mannequin stamp set (3 stamps) is easy enough to cut out and I think it could be quite a versatile set of images.  The Oxford Street sign is from a Paper Artsy set that just has a number on it - HP1208EZ.  I looked up on the Paper Artsy site and HP stands for Hot Pick with EZ being for EZ mount.

Kaszazz - Stork Arrival

I always like to keep a couple of baby cards handy and my stock is all used up so expect a couple more of these cards in the future.

This is a simple image with minimal colouring in - just the beak, legs and baby.  I paper pieced the cloth around the baby - not sure what to call that - and then masked the image to make the cloud background.  The clouds are not hard to do, you just need a sponge, some Distress ink and a couple of different sized scalloped ovals made from acetate or a sturdy clear see through material.  I generally start at the top of the card and work my way down alternating with the different sizes.

The image was die cut with Spellbinders Long Rectangles Classic and Scalloped.  The greeting is a Clear Dollar one which was punched out using the Stampin up Word Window punch.

Cuttlebug Alphabet

I was sitting with a dilemma, what greeting could I put on a raw fish birthday cake for 2 white tigers ?  One of the Cuttlebug alphabet dies came to the rescue.  It is an old one and I could not see a name on it.

The cake is to be made out of cup cakes using slippery elm to bind the fish and the skewers holding the greeting will anchor into it.  It is Angelo and Mich's 4th birthday (see their home at Jukani  in Mossel Bay, South Africa) and we are going to be with them to celebrate it.  The banner is a bit on the rustic side but I didn't think fancy would do for tigers !

Update - Angelo willing those fish cakes to jump off the plate into his mouth with his sister, Mich, looking on.  Needless to say, their treat was enjoyed and their footballs lasted a couple of seconds before they were punctured.

Art Impressions - Surprise Keeper

Wanting to make a quick and easy card I reached for this Art Impressions stamp set.  There are other stamps in it but I just needed the box this time.

I used paper from my stash for the box and coloured in the ribbon part with Cherry Chocolate Smooch.  The stamp was matted onto another offcut with the biscuit coloured cardstock being a speciality paper called Scarab.  It is made from elephant dung (sanitised, off course !) and I always make sure I stock up when passing through Sedgefield in the Southern Cape.  The texture of this paper / cardstock is very different and does not cut cleanly. 

Paper Artsy stamp set

This London themed stamp set from Paper Artsy only has a code on it - HP1208EZ - no name.  I had been looking for a typical London stamp and this set comes with a bus, a taxi, various street sign names and this stamp of Big Ben.

I first did the background by blocking off a card with Post-It notes.  I punched out a circle for the sun and used both the positive and negative.  The inks used are Momento and they were applied with a sponge.  It does help to have glossy cardstock as it makes the inks easier to apply.  The image was stamped using Black Archival ink.  Not sure where the sentiment came from.  I only completed this card a couple of days ago and cannot for the life of me remember where I found the sentiment.  It's called getting old !

Kaszazz - Schooner

I know yachts are not normally done in these colours but this is how I would like to see them.  I think white sails are quite boring and love it when the brightly coloured spinnakers are used.  Anyway, here I used the Kaszazz stamp called Schooner and coloured it in using various pencil crayons (aqua and normal) and a blender pen.  Using Spellbinders Wonky Squares I framed the image.

The sentiment is from the Hampton Art Alphabet stamp set and was punched out with the Stampin Up 5/16" circle punch which fits perfectly into upside down Candi's.  I thought that was quite innovative of me and will definitely be using that again !

Clear Art Stamps - Little Boy

Ok, so I am on a mission with the Dreamweaver's Stencils at the moment.  I really love making my own backgrounds and these stencils make it really easy.  For this card I used a glossy cardstock and blocked off the sections with Post-It notes.  The stencil is called Rolling Hills and I sponged the ink on.

The little boy with the kite and the dog was stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured in using an aqua painter, blender pen and a combination of Distress Inks, Tombow, Stampin Up and Marvy Le Plume markers.

The houses are from a Stampin Up set called Right at Home and were stamped directly onto the card using Archival Ink.  They were then coloured in with a combination of Momento, Distress and Stampin Up markers.  The sentiment is from the Clear Dollar set called Goose Hugs.

Penny Black - Winter Sky

Another simple card using a Penny Black stamp called Winter Sky.  I taped off the background using Post-It notes and sponged on Distress ink for the background.  The sentiment is a Hero Arts one.

Flippin Men - Golf

With finishing this card late at night and it being taken by DH (who commissioned it for a function) I had to take the photo using artificial light.  The true colours have unfortunately not come through.

The Flippin Men Golf image was stamped onto Neenah Solar white cardstock using Momento ink.  With this particular stamp I struggle to get all the image stamped out and have to use a Rock-a-Block which seems to work better.  The colouring in was done with Copics.  The golf bag is from Kaszazz and was stamped onto watercolour paper.  I used an aqua pen and Distress inks plus a few markers to colour it in.

The green background is a Dreamweaver Stencil called Rolling Hills (LJ 910) and I used 3 different colours of Distress Inks.  The multi coloured stripe background was made from scraps of paper and it was all popped onto a large card which had been edged with a stencil from The Crafter's Workshop called Fence Frame.  The sentiment is a Hero Arts one.