Happy Christmas - 2014

Its been so long since I posted on my blog,  at times I feel like I'm a hamster on a wheel, but still making cards to relax!  Maybe over the Christmas break I might post a few more here.

This is using darkroom door stamps - Stitched Christmas and Word blocked Christmas.  The Christmas tree is embossed in Stern (Tannengrun) embossing powder - such a lovely Christmas green. Being really lazy this year, I used card blanks from Craft Creation - this is using Ash which is such a lovely soft grey.  I also used some dark green mulberry paper - I thought it went with the stitched effect looking a bit like torn material. 

Happy Christmas

Its my last day of work tomorrow, then a weekend trip to visit my mum before returning home to prepare for christmas, with my youngest coming home from Uni on Monday.  Will be nice to have the family back together.

Bee Happy

I've been playing with some Chocolate Baroque Bees.  My daughter gave me these stamps last year, but with one thing and another, I'd not started seeing how I could use them until recently.  The bees on the flower, was just crying out to be used with my new circle thinlet.

Because its been so gray and damp, I've not been able to take good photos, and as a result this was scanned in using my scanner.

This card is made using SU circle thinlet - I've used A5 piece of card (slightly trimmed, so that my card is actually longer than the die - if the card is the same height as the die, just post it in, leaving an end over the top of the die furthest from the circle), this gives a flap to fold over and means you can write inside the card.

One side is embossed with a honeycomb embossing folder (this is one of a set of three small strips from Darice).  I have used a Cheery Lynn Honeycomb frame to make a stencil which I've sponged in SU So Saffron, Peach Parfait and Crumb cake.  I've stamped Happy from Chocolate Baroque Words of Wisdom and used Bees from Chocolate Baroque Honey Bees in Soft Suede (such a lovely colour). The main image is from the same set, and was coloured in using markers, and then fussy cut and stuck with a wing over hanging. The Bees wings are painted in Frost White shimmer paint - this gives a lovely translucent effect.  Inside the card, there are the same bees/honeycomb, and on the back of the circle there is a Happy Bee Day stamp (from Inkadinkado, in case you are wondering - bought over t'internet from the US).

Less is More: Week 154 OLC Hearts

Its been a long time since I've played along with the LIM challenges.  But after having not made any cards for ages (apart from Christmas ones) - it was good to have a play, and I do love the one layer cards.

Today I've made two cards - both use the same sort of technique.

I used a die cut (Cheery Lynn) celtic heart as a mask, and sponged some blue ink over the top.  In the first card, my card was slightly textured, and I spritzed over the top which left little dots of paler ink (especially where I'd used the darker blue ink).

My second card, was more clean and simple (better fits the less is more brief). Although its quite hard to not add ribbons/bows - but then it would be a bit girly and not appropriate to give my other half for valentine's day!

I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp: Blues challenge.

Thanks for looking and for any comments, Anna x