M is for...

Rizwana is setting today's challenge at Daring Cardmakers and we’re focusing on the letter M.

I have Meerkats coloured with Markers on a Masculine card. I picked up these Katzelkraft stamps on eBay a while back (most of them unused), who can resist a cheeky meerkat?!

The recipient plays for a football team who have a red and black strip so I made appropriate “scarf stripes” with markers along the base of the card. The dancing meerkat has a chalk halo because it was a quick and easy way to add some colour there.

Stamps:
Surikats (Katzelkraft)
Celebrate (Letter It line by Ranger)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Adirondack by Ranger (Espresso)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Copic markers

Thanks for stopping by!

So square

The lovely Shabneez is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers today. She’d like to see squares — square cards, lots of little squares as design elements, however you feel like incorporating squares!

I couldn’t really get going with anything this week so decided to add a Christmas card to the stash. Jo’s Christmas Kickstart has a green theme this month so I chose to play along there too. 

Santa’s dachshund has put on his best green sweater to deliver his Christmas greetings. He has lovely green trees in the background, too (dog masked before stamping trees). He’s on a square card with an inner square that looks surprisingly dimensional! I drew round a square die with a fineline marker then added some smudged charcoal pencil in the corners. His sweater has some squares in its pattern, too. 

This cute stamp was one of the Katzelkraft bargains I got ages ago but I’ve only just got round to using him — he made my hubby smile when he saw the card waiting to be photographed. There’s a lady in our village who has a dachshund that loves a fuss, Betty (the dog, not her owner!) has the softest ears you’ve ever felt, they’re like very expensive silk velvet!

Stamps:
Chien du Pere de Noel (Katzelkraft)
Lovely As a Tree  (Stampin’ Up)
Sentiment from an ancient set (MSE)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Charcoal pencil
Pearl pen by Viva Decor (Ice White)

Thanks for stopping by!

Fun and Games

It’s my turn to set the challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week and I'd like to challenge you to a game — indoor games, outdoor games, whatever sort of game you like!

I chose chess and used another of the Katzelkraft bargains I scored a while ago. I picked this set because hubby and eldest grandson sometimes play chess when they get together — the tables have turned and grandad’s experience doesn’t always mean he wins these days! 

This needed to go airmail so my preferred one-layer aesthetic was perfect, a bit of masking to place the pieces on the board and protect them from the inks (smooshed on with acetate), a doodled border and a few glossy dots keep it all light and flat. 

Stamps:
King’s Gambit (Katzelkraft)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Shadow Ink by Hero Arts (Charcoal and Soft Granite)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress and Oxide ink by Ranger (various blues, I lost track)

Other:
Pearl pen by Viva Decor (Anthracite)
Fineliner

Thanks for stopping by. 

Link in the chain - June

It’s reveal day once again at Card Chain Challenge, my how the months fly by! I had the pleasure of being the filling in a sandwich of new players this month.

My card has gone to Alice who is not only a new player but, much to Gail’s excitement, ticks off a new country for CCC — Finland. Welcome Alice!

From this month’s options I chose the sketch and the colour palette and stuck with my usual one layer aesthetic for CCC, using another of the bargain Katzelkraft stamps I got a while back. I thought the cat looked like she might be about to spring a surprise so the sentiment seemed an appropriate one to go with the image! 

I used a fineliner to extend the line of the stamped image and make a “curtain” that goes all the way to top and bottom of the card. The circles are inked through apertures in my trusty piece of acetate and have doodled edges and white pen highlights. A bit of Copic colouring, a rounded corner and call it done.

Stamps:
Les Gros Chat 09 (Katzelkraft)
Joy (Carabelle Studio)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Cranberry)
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko (Rosebud)

Other:
Copic markers
Black fineliner
White paint pen by Posca
Corner Chomper

There are still a few days to sign up for the next chain if you fancy it — just make and send one card, get a lovely handmade card just for you, spread some crafty love around the globe!

Link in the chain — April

It’s reveal day at Card Chain Challenge once again! There were 28 links in the chain this time and my card has gone to Imke in Germany.

From the options on offer, I chose the sketch, the colour palette (charcoal, lime, bumblebee) and the theme of umbrellas. 

That’s Crafty had a sale recently as they’re on the move and there were lots of lovely Katzelkraft stamps at bargain prices. I may have treated myself to a few! This chap with his umbrella seemed perfect for this month’s theme. 

It’s my usual one layer card for CCC. My original intention was for rather less grey but I managed some fairly significant smudges in areas that were going to be white so I just rolled with it and added more ink! He looks as though he might be emerging into a rather gloomy April day to brighten things up with his umbrella!

I used skinny strips of low tack tape to mask off the lines from the sketch while I added ink and then drew in some yellow, deliberately trying not to fill in all the white so there’s a bit of a “halo” round the colour. There’s a gold gel pen line along the bottom of each as well, just for some glitz! A rounded corner, doodled border and some dimensional paint dots finish it off. 

Stamps:
Les Gros Chat 03 (Katzelkraft)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Shadow ink by Hero Arts (Charcoal)

Other:
Copic makers
Gold gel pen
Fine liner
Pearl pen by Viva Decor (Anthracite)
Corner Chomper

There are still a few days to sign up for the next chain if you fancy spreading some crafty smiles around the planet.