All At Sea

IKEsWORLD

Challenge 111
All At Sea

Welcome back to the IKEsWORLD challenges :)  do pop on over to IKEsWORLD to join in the challenge, it is always so much fun and  Ike produces the most amazing stamps, everything from off the wall to cute and fluffy :) :) :)

This card is for my youngest daughter's birthday, she love scuba diving so this seemed a good theme for her LOL.  Thank you so much Ike for drawing all these wonderful fish for me, they couldn't be more perfect :).  I started by using Distress Inks to create the background which I then ran through my printer to get the black laser text to which I then foiled with gold foil.  I designed a border for each side of the card and printed this then coloured with Prismacolours, finally fussy cutting and adding to the card.  A super scuba diving die cut which was perfect for the card was finally added.
Simple stamping on the inside of the card completed the project, think she will like this one and will be pleasantly surprised it is not a rugby based card for a change :) :) :)

Ingredients:-

• image - Tropical Fish, by IKEsART
• colouring medium - Distress Oxides, Prismacolour
• other items - gold foiling, scuba die cut, fish and coral stamps

I am entering this project into the following challenges:-

• Paper Minutes W, - #548 - Scenes By The Sea
• Crafty Cardmakers - 2W, C15 - #217 HOLIDAYS/VACATIONS (Week 1)
• A Gem of a Challenge  2W   - #224 - Summer Time/ Holidays (W2 of 2)
• Pattie's Creations - M, 2E, SIO, include an image – JULY - No. 148 - UNDER THE SEA

Aurora Wings Showcasing

Aurora Wings

Aurora Wings Showcasing

Puppy Sprite  is a free gift over the weekend when you spend $8 or more in the store the discount code is valid until July 31st 2018

Oh you puppy lovers are going to just love this new image from Aurora Wings, 'Puppy Sprite' is just adorable :)

To showcase this gorgeous new addition to the Sprite family I decided to make a shape coffee cup card as I could just imagine in real life how this image would look on a mug and every cup of coffee drunk from this mug could do nothing but make you smile and brighten your day :) :) :)

I used the cut file 'Tea Cup' from My Scrap Chick, such a versatile cut file which I seem to have used several time recently so think it is going to be a favourite lol.  The Aurora Wings image 'Puppy Sprite' was coloured with Polychromes.  I used the png. version of the file and overlaid it onto a photo I had taken of the patterned paper I was using and added the sentiment digitally too.  Now I will admit this card gave me a bit of a headache and I very nearly started from scratch with a plain white coffee mug with gold trim.  I don't work well with patterned paper, no matter how hard I try the image in my head of the end project goes askew when I introduce pattern paper into the equation lol.   I had thought of a white backing for the image over the pattern paper but really felt that would look wrong but when I coloured the image the pattern really distracted, gutted and so nearly put it all in the bin.  Anyway, I decided to hang back from the disaster and come back to it a couple of days later to see if I liked it any better.  Alas no, but saying as I was about to trash it I saw no harm in trying something else first so it was out with my white Pan Pastel to soften the background but still keep the feeling of the flora cup.  Again I walked away from it for several hours so that I could look at it with fresh eyes and I think this worked pretty well so after that it was onto finishing the card off with the green scalloped and grey scalloped sentiment layers.  Yep, happy with this one now lol.

Check out the new Spites in the Store, they are just adorable :-

Succulent Sprite

Succulent Sprite JPG at AuroraWings.com 

Succulent Sprite JPG at AW Etsy 

Succulent Sprite PNG at AuroraWings.com 

Succulent Sprite PNG at AW Etsy 

Forget-Me-Not Sprite

Forget-Me-Not Sprite JPG at AuroraWings.com 

Forget-Me-Not Sprite JPG at AW Etsy

Forget-Me-Not Sprite PNG at AuroraWings.com 

Forget-Me-Not Sprite PNG at AW Etsy 

• Cardz 4 Galz 2W,3E #76 Food & Or Drink (W2 of 2)
• Cute Card Thursday W,C5 #539 Too Cute
• Double D Challenges - 2W,1st/3rd Wed, E3 - Tea and/or Coffee/See Mood Board* (W2 of 2)
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies (M, P1, E5, must have a critter) #16 - Anything Goes with a Critter
• Get Creative Challenges - M, 1st Mon, E3 - #71 SHAPED CARD (NO SQUARES OR RECTANGLES)

Mistletoe Christmas

 International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :).  Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #38
Christmas Traditions

This fortnights challenge theme has been chosen by DT sister Sall.  Christmas Traditions - I get the feeling Sall is on a Christmas card making roll lol.

For my creation I decided to go with all foiling.  Last year hubby bought me a TODO which does foiling via laser printing and also foils using dies that don't cut.  I bought a few dies but as always, they are costly but luck was on my side the other week and I managed to get a whole load in a sale.  Silver card was used as my base with a white embossed layering following.  A simple while layer with silver foiling of a Mistletoe spray followed.  Next I foiled the four corners and die cut them then I foiled the sentiment which I added to a die cut backing.  To finish off the card I added three pearls.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:-

• Dragonfly Journeys - 2W, E5 - #123 Christmas in July (W1 of 2)
• Di's Digis Designs 2W, 3E,SIO  Christmas in July (W2 of 2)
• Aud Sentiments Challenge 2W,E5  #208 Christmas In July + A Sentiment  (W1 of 2)
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - M, 2nd Wed, 2E, Anything Goes Christmas
• Shopping Our Stash W, C13 - #363 - Christmas in July
• The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - 2W, C15, E3 - #32 - Anything Christmas Goes (until 29th July)

Rite of Spring

Today is such an exciting day for me, it has been so hard to keep quiet for the last few weeks but today I can announce I am now part of the Aurora Wings DT.  I have followed Mitzi Sato-Wiuff and her wonderful digital images since 2012 when I found them on a Google search, no doubt for fairies :) :) At that time I found 12 images for sale and bought them all.  They were certainly daunting  to colour with all the detail but were exactly what I was looking for.  When the Aurora Wings challenges started way back in March 2014 I managed start playing along with the challenges, my first entry was in the April Monochromatic challenge and since then I have played along with the Aurora Wings challenges whenever I have been able to.  Life was busy at the time (now hubby and I are newly retired) so I did not ever dare to apply to be on the DT, Mitzi's images deserve the best I can do and when work etc. have to take priority over colouring I could not commit to this.  I eventually plucked up the courage to apply during the last DT call but alas did not make the team.  Sad heart but I told myself, as I always do, everything happens for a reason and if something is meant to happen it will in its own time - and now it has happened :) :) :) Happy dancing here and so very proud to be part of this awesome DT, thank you Mitzi and Donna for having me xxx

So here is my first creation as part of the Aurora Wings DT :-

Aurora Wings

Challenge #69 - Anything Goes 

For this creation I have used a shadow box to make a picture for my Mum's 87th birthday.  She does not want anything bought so what can be better than to make up something that I know she will love in her favourite colours.  The image I chose to use was from the original 12 I purchased back in 2014 - Rite of Spring.

I printed the image as large as I could on A4 stamping card and used Distress Inks to colour the background.  The image was coloured with Prismacolour Pencils, purple and blue fine liner pens, Stickles and Liquid Pearls were used to add further detail and the bit of bling I love to add to these images.

With this being a shadow box I needed to add something in for foreground and that really had to be a spray of flowers.  Usually I make my flowers out of paper or light weight card but they never have that soft look real flowers have so this time I did a bit of research to see what other materials would work.  Hard to believe but it seems coffee filters were ideal so hubby when and got me some.  Bummer, he came back with brown ones and that was just no good.  All I had at hand in the house was kitchen towel so I opted to try that.  Not great as the flowers are very flimsy but a good experiment.  Each flower has 60 petals hahahaha, and after cutting I wet each petal and dipped in blue ink.

These flowers turned out much larger than I had anticipated so only needed one for the shadow box so decided to use the remaining two for a tag to go with the picture.  I also cut some rose leaves and coloured them in pinky purples to match the image and three peacock feathers, again coloured to match the image.  The tag was coloured using the same Distress Inks and I used a foiling die to add the Birthday Wishes sentiment in sky blue foil.  All done, now just to wrap this up and give it to my Mum on Wednesday when I see her :)

Items used :-

image - Rite of Spring by Mitzi Sato-Wiuff /Aurora Wings

colouring - Distress Inks, Prismacolour Pencils, fineliners

extra items - Stickles, Liquid Pearls, peacock feather die, leaves and flower die by Spellbinders

Aurora Wings Digital Images Store

I am entering this creation in the following challenges:-

• 613 Avenue Create - M (1st Sunday), 8E, Any Craft Accepted (check for recognition each week, top DT choices, winners, and crafter's voting by on-line community) - #211 (July) Anything Goes w/Optional Twist: Create your own Designer Paper
• Dare 2B Artzy Challenges - M, 1st Sunday, E3 - (July) Birthday
• Stamping Sensations - M, 3E, Winner + Top 3, must use stamp (no pre-colored digis) Stamp must be focal point of project – (July) In my Garden
• Allsorts  W,3E  - #476/477 - Flowers All Over
• Crafty Calendar M,3E July - Totally Girly
• Inkspirational 2W,C10  #165 - Birthday (W1 of 2)
• Aud Sentiments Challenge 2W,E5  #207 Flowers + A Sentiment  (W2 of 2)
• Addicted to Stamps and More - W, C10, #300 - Happy Birthday (Not quite a card but a gift and gift tag so hope that still qualifies)
• Craftaholics R Us - W, #28 - Turquoise
• Mod Squad Challenge-1W, 3E, F - Floral

Summer Fun

 International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :).  Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #37
Summer Fun

This fortnights challenge theme has been chosen by DT sister Jeanette.  Summer Fun, so many thoughts so boats, the seaside, sun shining through trees, smelling beautiful flowers, where do I start.  I then end I used an old stamp set I have but never used and a very soft thoughtful card, just a handy one to keep in my box ready to be sent when needed. 

I used Distress Inks for the background and stamped the birds and sentiment with child in grey to keep a soft dreamy,  thoughtful look to the card.  The clouds were stamped and embossed for a bit of dimension along with a few waves on the water.  I thought of adding a boat in the background but really did not want to distract from the beautiful stamped image and sentiment so left that off.  

Challenges entered:-

• Scrap and Craft Inspiration M, 1st Sat. - July - Summer PRODUCTS USED -Double sided tape, strong, 9mm
• Crafty Catz - W, 3E – No. 424 - ANYTHING GOES WITH OPTION OF SUMMER FUN
• Through the Purple Haze M 1st Thurs, E3, C10 June - At The Beach
• That's Crafty! Challenge - M, 3E, 1st Wed of Month,C20, Close to Nature
• Tuesday Throwdown W - #399 - The Great Outdoors

Warmest Wishes

IKEsWORLD

Challenge 110
Christmas In July

Welcome back to the IKEsWORLD challenges :)  do pop on over to IKEsWORLD to join in the challenge, it is always so much fun and  Ike produces the most amazing stamps, everything from off the wall to cute and fluffy :) :) :)

Now if I am honest I don't know what mood I was in when I made this card, I don't do red very often and this card is SOOOOooo red lol and the thought of Christmas while it is only July, well no comment there :)  Anyway, a Christmas card or sorts has been created, I do like hot chocolate though and this awesome coffee cup image was perfect as the base for my Christmas hot chocolate.  I added some stamped holly around the rims of the cup and saucer and coloured the image with Promarkers.  After fussy cutting I placed the image on a die cut base and layered this onto red  shiny card.  I needed to add some foam to my chocolate so added some flower soft, nice bit of texture too.  The front of the card was finished with some pre cut holly leaves and red Stickle dots for the berries.  With such a 'loud' front to this card the inside looked very sad so I added a red die cut border to bring it to life.  I still had some red shiny paper left so added a section to the envelope and used my wee holly stamp to create a border.   I did have fun with this one and hopefully it will warm the heart of the recipient with being all red lol.

Ingredients:-

• image - I Luv Coffee, by IKEsART
• colouring medium - Promarkers
• other items - Border and holly die, holly stamp, glitter

I am entering this project into the following challenges:-