Recessed Card

Today's card is inspired by the sketch at Stamp TV.  It's an interesting sketch because it's so simple, and yet it got me wanting to try something a little different.

Here's my card:

from this sketch:

I thought it would be quite fun to make a recessed card.  And finally, I took out my Fine Furnishings additions set which had been sitting uninked for sometime.  After placing all the pieces in the recessed box, the card looked rather plain.  Added the faux stitching in white gel pen to add some interest to the card, as well the blings on the side and some twine.

Hope you'll be inspired to try this interesting card - here's a video at Splitcoaststampers to get you started.

Have a good weekend!

Stamps : GKD Fine Furnishing Additions
Cardstock : GKD Ocean Mist + scraps patterned papers
Others : Spellbinders Large Scalloped rectangles & petite ovals, Sakura white gel pen, teal blings & PTI's baker's twine

Going CAS

Here's another Clean and Simple (CAS) card, just one layer, no colouring at all (which is hard for me to resist).  Just straight stamping and adding a ribbon and some pearls.  The card was done in less than 10 minutes!

Here's the card:

I used the beautiful stamps from Crafty Secrets - Birds at Home and stamped direct onto the cardbase.  Then added a bow with a gluedot just above the bird cage and some pearls as shown.

Crafty Secrets have beautiful vintage clear stamps - even though they are clear stamps, I'm really pleased how well they stamp and how detailed the images are.  This is one set which I will keep reaching out for.

Thanks for visiting.

Stamps : Crafty Secrets Birds at Home
Inks : Versafine Vintage Sepia & Onyx Black
Cardstock : PTI Vintage Cream
Others : Sakura Pigma Micron Sepia (01), ribbon & pearls.

Birthday Tag

Today's project is a tag.  I've forgotten how useful tags are - they are always great with a gift when you can't find the right card on hand.  I need to make more of these... 

And, yesterday, I finally succumbed to buying copic markers.  You can imagine how excited I was to have a play with them and My Favorite Things' Pure Innocence stamps. 

Here's what I came up with... a little gift tag:

I really love the Pure Innocence range, the little girl is just so cute.  As you can see, my colouring isn't great, but I guess it's a start ;)

Enjoy your day!

Stamps : MFT PI Bunch of Blooms, PI Birthday Princess (sentiment)
Paper : GKD Ocean Mist cardstock, PTI White cardstock, October Afternoon paper
Inks : Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Inks Tumbled Glass & Shabby Shutters
Others : Spellbinders Labels 4 & petite Ovals, Cuttlebug embossing folders, Sakura white gel pen, Copic markers

Winner!!! from Growing in Unity week

Hi Everyone!  Here's the winner from all who commented during my GIU week.  I added up all the comments, and used Random.org to pick a number.  Here's the result:

Number 52 was the 3rd comment on Day 5, which was StampinCathy!! Congratulations!!!!

Please contact me so I can have your details and organise your prize. 

Have a great day!!

Everything handmade is "fixable"...

Have you ever made a card, and decided it didn't look right?  Well, I had one of those moments a few days ago.  I wanted to use my new Christmas stamp set from Unity, Bright & Merry Winter Wishes (I like to make good use of every stamp set I purchase).  Had a workable card idea in mind, so I started stamping... but, half way through I was not happy with the work-in-progress.  I didn't like the placement of the stamped images and also the ribbon didn't look right.  Decided then to leave it aside and perhaps I could come back and fix it later.

Well, here's the "fixed" card:

It now looks totally different from my initial idea, but I think it's pretty ok.  The focal image section was what I had problems with earlier.  I trimmed down the size of the cream cardstock, added a patterned paper which complemented the colours of the stamped images below the bauble. Then I added a tab at the left side of the cardstock, as well as a bow for the bauble & also distressed the edges.  On a kraft cardbase, I stamped the text all over, followed by some branches in green ink.  Finally added a cream satin ribbon at the bottom.  Adhered the focal image onto the kraft cardbase.  I then decided the cream ribbon was not very interesting, so I added another tied bow using a gingham red ribbon.  Added a pearl on the knot of the ribbon plus the greeting on the bottom of the cream cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

Stamps : Unity Merry & Bright Winter Wishes, Give It All Meaning, Artist In You
Inks : Versamagic Sea Breeze & Aspen Mist & Tea Leaves, Versafine Onyx Black & Distress Ink Tea Dye (Text & edges)  
Paper : PTI Kraft & Vintage Cream
Others : Ribbon, WRMK Corner Chomper, Zva Creative pearls, fine glitter

 

Unity Hip Hop Sketch HHSC30

Today let's take a break from making Christmas cards.  I haven't participated in Unity's hip hop sketch for a long while, so I thought I'd share a card inspired by this sketch:

Here's my card:

If you know a bit more about me, you'd know why I like the bird image - something about that crossword puzzle squares.  Yupe, I'm a bit of a puzzle addict and a sudoku addict!  So that's why the sentiment "happiness" is appropriate too.  I was thinking of how much contentment one could have with just a puzzle.

Enjoy your day!

Stamps : Unity KOM October 2010
Inks : Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Ink Antique Linen
Papers : October Afternoon, Making Memories, PTI cardstocks Spring Moss & Vintage Cream
Others : Colourpencils, Spellbinders large scallop circles, Labels One, satin ribbon, scor-tape

CAS Christmas card

Today I'm sharing a CAS Christmas card.  After making several cards with patterned papers, I guess you could say I needed a break.  It was time to have a clean & simple card with more stamping and no patterned papers.

Here's the card:

What I did was mask the outer edges of the card with removable scotch tape (abt 1" from the sides). Then ink up the flourish stamp (Unity's Artist In You) with red chalk ink and stamp randomly. There's room to stamp the flourish only 3 times, really. Ensure the ink has dried, then remove the tape, and use the Scor-buddy to score 1/2" from the sides as shown.

Stamp the bauble (from Unity's Bright & Merry Winter Wishes) on a white cardstock and color as shown (I used a red watercolour pencil and a blender pen to blend the colour).  Then add glitters (I used the Sakura Quickie Glue pen before thowing on the glitters) onto the centre section as well as around the coloured areas & cut out the bauble. Cut as close as you can to the outline of the bauble.  Punch a tiny hole at the top of the bauble and tie a bow with silver embroidery thread and the sentiment.  The sentiment in the set was really long so I only used the top 2 words - I inked up "merry" 1st and stamped it then inked up "christmas" and stamped below the word "merry".  Mount the bauble with foam adhesive as shown.

Then..hmmm... I felt it needed a little more interest, so I used a fine black pen and drew the frames as shown.  And added some pearls to finish off the card.

As an alternative, I guess one could use a glue pad to ink the flourish stamp & add some flocking - this would really jazz up the card base.  Maybe I'll try that and see if it works.

I hope you enjoy the card.  Have a fun week!

Stamps : Unity Artist In You (flourish), Unity Bright & Merry Winter Wishes
Inks : Versamagic Red Magic, Versafine Onyx Black
Paper : White & Ivory Cardstock (PTI)
Others : Scor-buddy, fine glitter, Sakura Quickie Glue pen, Sakura Pigma Micron black (0.1), Scotch removable tape, Silver Embroidery thread, Pearls