Saturday, January 25, 2014

Another Simple Card

G'day

Try, try and try again.  Do you get those creative days when a card you are trying to design just does not come together.  You have your main focas but you are trying to match it with a background you like but it just does not look right, then you give up and finally say to yourself, yep I will have to make a simple card (CAS), just a plain white background with your focal image.  Yep, took me forever to make up my mind.   I want to be different in my designs, but sometimes it just does not work out.

But anyways this is the final design that came to be.  Click photo for details.


 
 

All these photos, which one to share!  Do you have that choice too.  I just want a cam that will take a good shot on the first go and the lighting, in my house, do not even ask.

Anyways I do my best.

I enjoyed the end result of this card.  I used one of my new embossing folders, ferns on the base card and colored in pencil for a light color on the background.  A lovely purple ribbon across the card with three frames.  I reversed the frames, made the centers pop up.  With nature in mind, i punched out butterfly, flower and draganfly and made them dimensional by punching out again and heat bossing them with leaf opaque embossing powder, just a sprinkle look.  Added some bling and glitter for some shine.

Finally a sentiment that relates to nature and there you have a simple card. 

It was worth the effort to complete the card that i started with frames.


I would like to enter this card in the following challenges :-

STAMPlorations - challenge sketch #4

CASology - week 79 - contrast


Thanks for stopping by :-  what are your thoughts on creating cards ?

see ya MOnika and Have a Great Day

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Two Embossing Ways

G'day

I recently bought some heat embossing powders, lavender, leaf and silver all from Zing. So i decided to try and see if i can heat emboss on smaller size image on a embossing folder.

I used the lavender opaque finish color on the flowers of my new embossing folder that i bought in Lincraft.

Here is the card I made


I used broken china and crushed olive distress inks (Ranger Tim Holtz) to sponge over the embossed folder. I then used a felted tip pen to sponge up some watermark ink (Versamark) and go over the flowers on the embossed page, I then heat embossed with lavender (Zing - opaque finish). For the first time I think I did pretty well. Need more practice on the smaller images.

Here is a pic i tried to capture the shine of the embossing powder on the flowers before it became a card.


I then made a strip with blue textured paper and stamped a sentiment Best Wishes (Fiskars - home sweet home (rubber stamps)) and I stamped, pencil colored and fussy cut a butterfly (KaiserCraft - bonjour), placed on a pop dot for dimension and shadow. All of that on a blue textured cardstock vertically.

I really love this card, simple, clean, color co-ordinated and very lovely to look at. Love the sparkle of the flowers, the heat embossing really gives a very touch to the card.

I am beginning to enjoy and create with heat embossing, need to get more colors especially the clear embossing powder.


I would like to enter my card in the following challenges :-


Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday challenge - emboss it

Make it Monday - MIM #175 - Anything Goes

Hiding in my Craft Room - HIMCR #133 - Clean & Simple


Brown Sugar Challenge Blog - #77 - Anything Goes

Grab Our Badge


Sister Act Card Challenge - challenge #40 - Anything Goes

Our Logo



HAVE A GREAT DAY
cheers MOnika


A Different Style of a Challenge

G'day

Thank God that the heat wave in Aussie Land, where i am, is over, now is a lovely low 20's.....enjoying life a bit more....means more creativity possible. Gets very hot in my craft room....gotta get a fan...one day....

Anyways. I found a new challenge blog that incorporates design papers for their monthly challenges. Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge

Here is my card I created with patterned paper. click on pic for details.





Simple design, I used design paper from CREATIVE PL make & create (Playtime scrapbook papers 100 pack) purchased from Aldi last year some time. I wanted the colors to co-ordinate. I glued them on black textured cardstock for a thin border and I though three layers of design was a good number. For the focal image and picture I used stickers which also came from CREATIVE PL make & create (Retro scrapbook accessories 16 pack). Then i thought a couple of nice flowers with jewels would be a nice match to bring in some dimension. That was all done on a base card stock black textured and i added orange texture looking design paper on the inside for some writing.

Cool, i really enjoyed making this card, something different from stamping and inking.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges :-

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge


Addicted to Stamps - challenge #79 CAS

CAS-ual Fridays - CFC#126 - color blocks

Make it Monday - MIM #175 Anything Goes

CAS on Sunday - challenge #25 - Lovely Dovey

Hiding in my Craft Room - HIMCR #133 - Clean & Simple

Brown Sugar Challenge Blog - #77 - Anything Goes



cheers from MONika

Monday, January 20, 2014

Guest Designer at STAMPlorations

G'Day

For a while now I have been sharing my stamping adventure with you and loving all the stamps and scrap booking materials from Shery's stores, All About Scrapping and STAMPlorations.

I have been entering my stamped cards, tags and canvas work with Shery's STAMPlorations Challenge Blog in the past year and have been a winner and top pick, with my cards, twice.

Thus, recently I have been honoured by Shery to be a Guest Designer on her next Challenge #4 Sketch.

Here is the sketch.

 

 

Here is my inspiration card for the challenge

 

Recently I finally bought some embossing powders so I could play with heat embossing and I thought this is the time to share some of the silver (metallic finish) powder.

Thinking of a stylish background and my new watermark ink (Versamark), I stamped the background image, using STAMPlorations - 'Distressed Floral Swirls' stamp. Wow I was surprised by the result. Leaves a lovely soft image and nothing else is needed. I thought it would dry and disappear on me, honestly. But nope, just love the look.

I did another background panel, sponge inking with distress inks (dusty concord and broken china) and then stamping with same distress florals stamps and heat embossing them with silver (metallic finish). That looked awesome but I could not get it to work with anything I had in mind.

A thought came to me, leafs. Reminds me of new beginnings and changes that happen during a year. I punched out three leaves and tada. Love the look, hint of two colours that are in harmony with a silver swirl image running over it.

I did not have a purple or blue ribbon which i wanted to run across the card, so I used a purple textured card stock cut into a strip. I then put on pop dots on the leafs to give some dimension and shadow and stuck them on the strip.

I then stamped a Happy Birthday sentiment and heat embossed it with the same silver used on the leaves and sponged the edges with broken china, which balances the card nicely. Placed pop dots on and placed it under the strip with leafs.

 

I hope that inspires you to try something new..

 

Please visit STAMPlorations and Join in the fun.

 

 

Cheers

Monika from Australia.

 

 

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Another Canvas in my Stash

G'Day....my gosh it's hot here in Aussie Land Victoria, in the 40's Celsius, not funny, cooling with a fan, just to save the aircon for the worst.

Anyways....my brain has been tickling me to create something for a sketch challenge and finally I had something good in mind.

Here is what I made...process first on paper then thoughts on how it looks on canvas...I think in my opinion looks good, love the same tones that work together. My confidence is slowly building about using canvas more. This was my last small canvas and I have two more that are about A4 size and flat....gotta build more courage for those ones..

 

 

I started with design paper and using the same block to create the whole feel of same tone design. I put a piece through a embossing folder called (not sure I think it was my first Tim Holtz folder. is he just not the greatest creative designer, wow love his steampunk and grunge designs, just fab).

The folder reminds me of a brick wall and the design paper matches to a tea. Next thinking hanging leafs and I got new leaf die cuts (MPress) and I cut out all three using matching tone colour and one same of the brick look.

I then used the sentiment from Cloud9Designs (simple thoughts - memories) and stamped on same tone design paper, cut around the edges with my new Victorian edge scissors and sponged with vintage sepia (Versafine).

I love the sentiment, goes with butterflies that I wanted to go with the theme. From a cocoon they turn into these beautiful butterflies, just perfection. I then punched out small butterflies in one tone and another darker tone to place on top to create depth, dimension and shadow on the piece.

Then I positioned elements according to the sketch. Then started think, put on card base or leave as is, but I have more design paper to match, looks like the size of a small canvas that I have reused. Hmmm. Tried out the size, fits and trim with the Victorian edge scissors to match with the sentiment background, then sponged the edges with vintage sepia and a bit inwards, looked too much plain.

Finally placed all my beautiful butterflies and adorned them with silver glitter. There you have it, in my opinion, a very neat and similar toned design, ready to hang on my wall.

 

I would like to enter my canvas into the following challenges :)

 

STAMPlorations - bi-weekly sketch #3

Crafting by Designs - Anything Goes

Simply Create Too - Anything Goes challenge #52

Addicted to CAS - code word - die cuts

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

 

Penny's Paper Crafting - Embelishments

 

 

Wow, couple of crafty designs so far and another design created earlier in the week for a very grateful turn as a Guest Desiger on a blog on the 20th of Jan, so stay tuned....

Cheers from a very hot Australia ! MONIKA

 

A New Embossing Folder

G'Day, just another hot day in Aussie Land, a lovely 40 deg cel, yuky.

Created a card recently using my new embossing folder called basket weave.

Here is my card...hard to capture a good photo. Middle pic is more true the colours.
 
 

 

I first started with a tag, used my new distress paints (dusty concord, broken china) and created a background, then I ran it through the basket weave embossing folder. I decided to coordinate the colours with further design.

I stamped with StazOn (jet black) a lovely bird (that has feathers) on a branch using the KaiserCraft (bonjour) stamp set. I wanted a simple sentiment that would fit on the tag, so I went with A Day to Remember by Cloud9Designs (simple thoughts - memory). Which I heat embossed with lavender (opaque finish by Zing). Did not turn out as clear as I thought, so I stamped over with jet black.

I wanted to add a bit of dimension, so I thought flowers and dragonfly would suit nicely with some silver glitter and rhinestones.

I thought the basket weave was not showing too well, just lightly in the background, so I wanted to show it of and highlight the tag.

Thus I created another background and ran it through the embossing folder and sponged with dusty concord around a masked tagged to give glow effect and then sponged the rest with broken china. Now that is what basket weave looks like.

I wanted to show off my new fancy scissors with a Victorian cut and it looked so much better. I then stuck the tag onto that. It was a bit too big so I trimmed and lost some of the broken china I sponged earlier. I then sponged dusty concord around the edges. I then attached to a horizontal base card.

 

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges :)

STAMPlorations - stamps and feathers

CAS-ual Fridays - CFC125 in a Word

CAS(e) this Sketch "59

Make it Monday - MIM#174

Hiding in My Craft Room - #HIMCR132

Crafting by Designs - Anything Goes & Flower, Flowers, Flowers


Simply Create Too - Anything Goes challenge #52

Make my Monday - Birds

That is all for now, gonna check out more challenges to enter in....

Cya MoNika

 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

My First Heat Embossed Card

G'day

Referring back to the previous post about heat embossing, my new craft obsession, here is the card I made with the heat embossed flowers on an embossed folder panel.

Click on image to see detail and the shine on the flowers.

Nice and simple, great for CAS challenges I think.

I heat embossed the flowers, using a pen with a sponge tip (fantastix - coloring tool brush point by tsukineko), to sponge up the watermark ink and color in the flowers only, then sprinkled with the lavender opaque finish embossing powder. I then sponged up the pen and colored in the leaves with distress ink crushed olive and then sponged the whole panel with distress ink broken china. Then wiped off the access and tada. I love this. The colors work so well together. All in harmony on the color wheel.

I then cut a strip of blue textured paper, stamped on a Best Wishes sentiment (Fiskars - home sweet home) and fussy cut a butterfly (KaiserCraft - hummingbird). I then placed the strip on some pop dots and placed onto the panel and then placed the butterfly on a pop dot for dimension and shadow onto the strip and adhered the whole panel onto a card base of blue texture to match it all in on a vertical card.

i would like to enter this card in the following challenges :-

Cas(e) this Sketch - #58

undefined

 

Simon Says Stamp - Something New challenge

AllSorts - week #240 Free & Easy

Make it Monday - MIM #173 with Time for Tea Designs

 

Cool....love to hear your thoughts

Seeya for now..MOnika