Kaisercraft Mini Clear Stamp - Owl

Not the greatest photo as it was taken at night, apologies.  I started by stencilling the background, which is from a Dreamweaver's stencil called Bare Trees (LJ 849), with 3 different colours of Distress Ink.

The owl is a cutie which I bought from Simply Creative a couple of days back - I could not resist her.  I stamped the image onto watercolour paper using Coffee Archival ink and coloured it in with a variety of markers and a blender pen.  The branch she is standing on comes from a Cottage Cutz die called Winter Owl and the sentiment is a Penny Black one.

Katzelkraft - Chat Kipling set

This is the last image of the Katzelkraft Chat Kipling set that I stamped out onto white cardstock.  I then used a couple of Distress inks around the edges of the image and matted it onto white and then black cardstock.

The background paper is from my stash and the sentiment is a Hero Arts one.

Katzelkraft - Chat Kipling - again

This is definitely a set of stamps I will get a lot of use out of.  The images are so detailed that it is not necessary to add any colour to them.

On this card I framed the image using a Sizzix Oval - these dies are narrow ovals and come in really handy.  The border punch is a Martha Stewart one, the sentiment is from Clear Dollar's Something to Crow About and it was punched out using the Stampin Up Word Window punch.  The die behind the sentiment is a Clear Dollar one and the black die cut behind that is from Memory Box Pastry Labels die.

Cottage Cutz - Shower Peepers

Another Cottage Cutz die which I will be getting a lot of use out of.  This chick is holding a sign which is also from Cottage Cutz called Marker Sign.  The sentiment is from the Clear Dollar set Thoughtful Notes.

The paper and the Nestabilities shapes are from my stash.  The border punch top and bottom of the striped paper is a Martha Stewart one.

Katzelkraft - Chat Kipling

I have been fortunate to have visited England a couple of times in the past few years.  Each time I pop into The Craft Barn in Lingfield, Surrey.  Their store is not large but it has a wonderful selection of stamps and dies amongst many other products.  I had not heard of Katzelkraft, which is a French company, but my sister found it on the shelf and we both bought one.  This stamp set is beautifully illustrated and stamps well.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts - Say it All which I purchased from Simply Creative here in Cape Town.

Tag Album - 4

The last of the pages of the tag album I made for my brother's birthday.  As it was for a male I tried to keep some of the pages uncluttered and simple, letting the paper and the photo tell the story.

Marianne D Creatables - Ballerina 1 die

Back again after computer problems earlier this week.  This card started off with me wanting to try out some new stencils I picked up on a recent visit to the UK.  Dreamweaver make a number of interesting stencils and the one I used here only has a code on it - LG609.  I worked with a stencil brush and Distress inks to create the squared off background.

The Marianne D Ballerina 1 die was cut using black cardstock and the sentiment is from the Hero Arts set called Good Friends.

Tag Album - 3

Another page of the tag album.  This time I cut open part of the design (clock) to slide the tags underneath.

Still trying to settle in after being on holiday.  Will start making some cards on the weekend.

Tag Album - 2

Another page to the tag album I made recently.  Again, I used a number of different tags but decided to keep the same raffia ribbon at the top.  Each tag was unique with either embossing or stamping on and the darker ones were plain.

My only complaint about this Tim Holtz album was that I had to hand cut the paper on each page.  There is a Spellbinders die that is the same shape but it does not fit the page.

Cottage Cutz - Splish Splash Ducky

I thought this was a cute figure and made up a birthday card for a friend with her.  I cut out the duck using different colour papers (great way to use up those scraps) and sponged the pieces with Distress Inks.

The sentiment is a Gina K Design one. 

Tag Album - 1

This is one of the pages of the tag album I made for my brother's birthday.  All the stamps are Australian with no name on - I tend to get rid of a lot of packaging if I buy stamps overseas. 

With each page I die cut a number of tags and put reminders of past actions on them - Remember When ...



Tag Album covers

My brother recently celebrated his 50th birthday and I made up a tag album for him using this Tim Holtz album.  These are the front (above) and back (below) of the album.  The Happy Birthday punch is a Martha Stewart one and the quote on the back of the album is from Tim Holtz.

Tag Album - bag - Flourishes Kids Play

The upside of having a husband who plays golf is the goodie bags he sometimes comes home with.  This was one and I decided to cover the label with a piece of calico die cut with the SU scalloped square.

Using black Archival ink (after trying many others, this one looked the best) I stamped one of the images from the Flourishes Kids Play set onto the material.  The sentiment is from the same set.  I used fabric glue to adhere the stamped patch to the bag and used it for my brother's birthday tag album.

Apron Card

This is my brother's second birthday card.  He recently taught himself how to cook and is enjoying it, apart from the time he sliced off his finger tips with a mandolin !

I found the idea for this card in an online craft magazine and made the template up myself.  The pocket in front is the Cottage Cutz die called Peeker Pocket which I cut down and popped a ribbon trim on the top.  The ribbon around the neck and on the pocket is a SU one, the utensils in the pocket are probably a good 5 years old and were bought in Australia.  Inside the card I used a Creative Memories retired corner punch to finish it off.

Gina K Designs - You know you're old when .....

Here is one of two birthday cards made for my brother's 50th birthday.  He is adament he is 40 (again) - so it makes it even more fun to exagerate his age.  By the time this post appears my sister from Australia and myself will be in London.  We have been planning this trip for over a year now and decided to surprise my brother.  Just hope he does not have a heart attack when he sees us !!  It is 12 years since we have all been together as the 3 of us live on 3 different continents.  Here's hoping for 2 weeks of fun and laughter.

Down to the card - a Cuttlebug embossing folder with 2 Nestabilities Ovals in the middle.  The Gina K Designs stamp called You know you're old when  ..... has been partly paper pieced and partly coloured with Copics.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set and it is on a Clear Dollar die called Designer Label.

Hero Arts - Newspaper Eiffel Tower

I do enjoy using background stamps and love the new ones that Hero Arts has introduced.

This was a simple card.  The image was stamped using Cobalt Archival ink.  The background was sponged with a variety of Distress Inks and matted on a dark blue cardstock and then onto a cream coloured card.  The sentiment looks like a Clear Dollar one (not entirely sure - I really must start making a note of what I use !) and it is stamped on a Hero Arts Small Tag Frame with another die from the same set being used behind it.

Cottage Cutz - Watering Can, Tulips

I am a huge Cottage Cutz fan and when I saw this die I knew I had to get my hands on it.  I decided to cut out the entire die in white and coloured in the pieces using Copics.  Yes, I know I copied their suggested colours but it really is a good combination.

The die behind the tulips is a Nestabilities Square matted on a Marianne D Square.  I think the sentiment is a Gina K one (not sure) but it is stamped on a Whimsy Notables 2 die.

Unknown Venetian Scene stamp

I recently needed a 21st male birthday card and as most of my stamps are cute and whimsical I struggled a bit.  Tucked away I found a couple of stamps I bought years ago but have no idea of the company name.  This Venetian scene was amongst them and I thought it would be appropriate.

The sentiment is from a Clear Dollar stamp set called Something to Crow About.  Using a Spellbinders Labels template (made from an old x-ray) I sponged around the outside of the card using Distress Ink.

Stampin Up - Owl Punch

The SU Owl punch is one of my all time favourites as it is quick and easy to make up.

For this card I die cut a circle and used the negative to sponge in the moon.  I put the circle onto the sponged image and  used a dew drop Momento ink pad called London Fog for the rest of the card.  At the bottom I took a roughly torn Post-it note to create a border whilst dabbing on the background with the ink pad.

The owls are standing on a die called Marianne D Forest Branch.  I enjoy using dies and find the Marianne D range innovative and very precise.  A pleasure to work with.

The sentiment is from the Flourishes stamp set called Tag Lines.

Easter Treat Box - Peachy Keen Easter Basket Paint Fight

This treat box is also from a template called Bag 'N' a Box by B-C-E (Uk) Ltd.  Because I was not paying attention I made an error when I tried to make it taller but I just altered the design at the top of the box.  As they say, in craft there are no mistakes, only creative opportunities ! 

The window is cut out using Nestabilities Long Rectangles, Plain and Scalloped and the Peachy Keen image was coloured in using Copics.  There are a couple of cute paint splatter stamps in the set but I could not get the right colour ink to use on the Copics.  I topped off the project with blue pipe cleaner handles.

Punch Art Easter Bunny Treat Bag

This treat bag is from a template by B-C-E (Uk) Ltd called Bag 'N' a Box.  I did alter it slightly to make it taller.

The bunny is made from a variety of SU punches and topped off with a Peachy Keen face and Candi buttons.  In case you are wondering about the head - it is the SU ornament punch trimmed and used upside down.  The trim on top is from a Spellbinders Classic Edges One die set - except I used the part usually tossed out.  The aperture is cut out using Nestabilities Labels Ten.

Sizzix - Big Shot Pro Hexagon die

I must confess I love the Big Shot Pro dies for boxes.  On this box I used the Magnolia grass again as well as a small Easter stamp I was given as a gift many years back.  I think it might be a very old SU one as it is made of foam.

Stampin Up - Fancy Favor die with punch art Bunny

I find the SU Fancy Favor die a good size for Easter treats and quick and easy to assemble.  To the front of the box I added Magnolia grass and a punch art bunny which I have done before.  The punches used are all SU and it is easy to assemble.  The handle is made of raffia which has been twisted.

Easter Gift Bag - Shower Peepers

This Easter treat bag is made using the Big Shot Pro die called Tall Bag.  I used Nestabilities Eggs to cut out an aperture and popped in a chick from the Cottage Cutz / Peach Keen die called Shower Peepers.  The chick is holding a small Nestabilities Egg.



Penny Black - Pansy Bunny

Often when I buy a new stamp I will try it out and put it one side in a container.  I did it with this image and thought it would do for a quick Easter basket.

If I can recall I stamped the image onto watercolour paper and coloured it in using SU watercolour crayons.  The box is the SU Fancy Favor die and the grass at the bottom of the image is from a Cottage Cutz die called Kitty Love Mail.  The handle of the box was made from a couple of lengths of raffia twisted.

Cottage Cutz - Spring Chick-a-dee

A couple of days ago I suddenly realised Easter was nearly upon us and I had not done any projects.

I looked on the internet and found a template for this bag at Mel Stampz blog (Flat Top Purse)  and used SU cardstock with a pink basil trim made from Edgeabilities Classic Scallop.  The label is a Boss Kut tag and the punch art is the delightful Cottage Cutz Spring Chick-a-dee.  This time I used white cardstock for all the pieces except for the hat and coloured them in with Copics.  A good idea except for the tiny pieces which ended up being quite fiddly.

The recipient of this gift is allergic to chocolate, as I am, so I had fun filling the bag with carob sweets - at least I could pinch a couple.

Penny Black - Enjoy Life

Another card using the masking technique from Heather Telford's blog called Bits & Pieces.  This time I blocked off the sections and used Distress inks.  I then used a wooden Hero Arts script stamp on the blue and the green section after which I stamped the tree from the Penny Black set Enjoy Life.  Cannot remember where the sentiment came from. 

Marianne D - Classic Boats die

With having a fair stash of paper and cardstock I am trying to use up the sheets I have already cut. Problem is I never know the name of the paper.  Most of my stash is bought locally which limits it to a few suppliers like Bo Bunny, Fab Scraps and Kaisercraft.  On this card I also use a left over piece and to it I added the Marianne D Classic Boats die, shaded with Distress Inks.

The waves are an old Fiskars border punch, the stitching is with a white pen and the sentiment is from a Stampin Up set.

Inkadinkado stamp set

I have a number of different coloured cards which I bought a long time ago on eBay which I thought I should start using.  I think this one is from SU cardstock and it came with a spare piece of the same colour which was much appreciated.

The background paper is another leftover from a project and I cut it into 3 parts.  Truth be told, it was a bit too small for the card so I thought I would make it fit.  The bird and foliage stamp is from an Inkadinkado set I bought years ago and it has no name on it.  I used a SU white craft inkpad for the image which I matted onto a Tim Holtz Artist Trading card die.

Flourishes - A Season of Celebrations

You may be wondering why on earth I am posting a Christmas card in March !  Well, I am making up a set of cards as a gift for a friend and decided to pop in a couple of Christmas cards as well.  They will all be the same type of card - see the wonderful blog of Heather Telford - Bits & Pieces for her inspirational cards using a sponging and masking technique.

For this simple card I masked off an area with Post-it notes and used a brayer and Archival Ink for the background.  I then stamped the image from the Flourishes A Season of Celebrations set using Black Archival Ink.  I used Spica pens for the dress and lights just to add a little bit of colour.  The sentiment is from the same set.

The brayer works better on a smooth cardstock.  I will also be trying this technique using sponges on my preferred surface of a linen card.