Simple, simple, simple

Here is a very simple card... a simple die cut, a simple bit of inking with a simple birthday sentiment!

Addicted to CAS 

Happy Little Stampers

Time Out

Stay well everyone!

Distress Inks

I'm afraid that the colour doesn't show up too well on this picture. The card base is deep brown and the inks used to splash on the card for the foliage are all shades of brown plus a little white and a smear of gold.

I began with the sketch from Fab Fridays

This is a challenge that I have come across only recently. I used a stirip of hessian plus a pennant shaped die cut and a sentiment from Sugar Peas Designs, which I heat embossed in white.

Just US Girls has the challenge to

 I die cut the two foliage sprigs from Alexandra Renke and kept them in the card from which they were cut. Next I splashed and dropped some Distress Inks over the card in Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs, Frayed Burlap and Picket Fence, using the ink straight from the refill bottles. I spritzed with water to make the ink move around a little and then heat dried. After I had carefully taken the die-cuts from the card I smeared a little Brilliance Gold ink over a few edges.

I split a length of string as it was a little thick and tied a tiny bow, curling the ends around the handle of a paintbrush. The base of the card wasn't intended to be the deep brown, but an escapee tiny drop of ink meant I had to cut the front of the card down a little to avoid it, before remounting the panel...but I rather like the end result!

I will probably do another card actually splashing something directly onto the card base, but I hope this will do in the interim.

Inspiration

There are a few crafters whose work never fails to inspire me. One such of these is Heather Telford. Not only is she inspirational but she is always more than willing to share her expertise with others.

The other day I saw one of her cards which just made me itch to have a try at something similar!

Here is her card!

Mine is not a direct copy but I tried a similar technique, using similar stamps and colours. Long may your inspiration continue Heather... and thank you!

Merry Christmas

From my house to yours!

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Creative New Year.

Here is my Christmas tree, out for its 35th outing. I didn't think I  liked artificial trees until one day in 1976 when my husband arrived home from work in Virginia, where we were living at the time, with a very large box on the roof of the car, which contained this tree. It has graced our living rooms each year since that time and I love it. I was amazed to see that today real trees cost about £55, so apart from doing its bit for ecology, it has also saved us a lot of money over the intervening years.

The final challenge for this year from "Less is More" is the recipe of  

Just one word

and  it will run for 2 weeks.

Here are my contributions.

I've had this stamp out on my desk to use for a Christmas card for weeks, but this is the first time I've managed to use it this year. I love these Penny Black ducks, they have such great expressions on their faces.
This one was coloured with Copics and a touch of Glamour Dust was added to the letters. The edging was cut with a Spellbinders die.

You probably recognise the style of this one as I've used it many times before. Fab Artemio trees in a masked and sponged strip where I used the Natural range of inks from SU EArly Espresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and Sahara Sand ... with white of course. The birds are Hobby Arts and the sentiment is part of a SU one which I masked with Selotape before inking so as to get just one word!

This is a retired SU stamp which has the word 'Hello' as part of the design. I think it's a really pretty stamp. It has been coloured with Promarkers.

This one is another SU stamp... a heart this time, mounted on a Nestie with a backdrop from Pink Petticoat... I think, but I wouldn't  like to swear to that!









We will be sharing our Christmas celebrations with our daughter and her family and are so looking forward to being with them all. Daisy is really excited! I hope that you have a Wonderful Christmas wherever you you may be!