Happy Christmas

Hi Everyone

So this year i have been very un-organised, with presents, the turkey (not ordered one and its too late) and Christmas Cards.  So I have only made a few and in one design.

I've used matt black card for the base and matted with Kraft card.  Using watercolour card I've cut a Snowflake die, bought this on my trip to Slovenia at the Rayher shop and i love it, its by a Slovenian designer and i picked up other ones too.  Then after cutting I've embossed with the Vintage Christmas folder but you can use any snowflake folder.  The reason i love A4 folders is i can emboss large areas in one go and then cut them down, made this card so quick and easy.  Then to complete I've used a sentiment from the Greetings sentimental stamp set and added some black ribbon and a metal snowflake charm.

Happy Christmas and hope you have a fab time and good luck for 2015.

Hope you like it.

Louise xx

Crafters Companion Blog Challenge December - Thankyou

Hi Everyone

Here's a little Scruffy Little Cat Card i made for the Crafters Companion Blog Challenge in December, the theme is thank you.

Sooooooo  while i have been demoing at craft shows i have found myself eyeing up material on the stands next to us and bought some small pieces to see if i could incorporate them into my cards.

For the card i have used Kraft card as the base and matted with some purple Coredinations embossed and sanded back using the vitnage floral Hessian folder.  The image is Ashleigh from the SLC range and coloured with Spectrum Noir Markers.  Ive also used the Circle Doily die and then just added a few buttons and a metal butterfly.

Colours used areTN1, TN2, TN3, TN6, CR3,  EB1, EB2, EB3, EB5, EB8, IG1, IG2, IG6, PL1, PL3, PL5.

Hope you like it and dont forget to pop over and take part.

Louise xx

December Spectrum Noir Challenge

Hi Everyone

Ok, so I absolutely avoid messy crafty usually as I would rather keep clean.  I hate getting inky and messy and usually when I try I make an absolute mess.  However I love my finished card using Spectrum Noir Aquatints.

This months Spectrum Noir challenge is clean and simple and I love this type of card.  Although true to form I had the ink everywhere and even dropped some on my carpet.  I tried quite a few times to get it out and what worked was Leanns suggestion of lemon juice and bicarb of soda, luckily it came out really quickly as the carpet is a light biscuit colour.  So there is a top tip for you from Leann.  Although I really should be just made sure I didn't drop any in the first place.

For the card base I have used Centura pearl as my base card and matted my topper onto black card.  While browsing on pinterest one night I found a fab card and technique that I thought i would give a go one day and I wondered how this would work with the aqautints.  Here's the link and this ladies card is so much better than mine but this is my first attempt at something similar.

I've used colours 5, 8 and 25 and sorry I cant remember which packs they are out of as I have ended up mixing them up but you can choose any colours you like.  Then I've added the aquatint to a small piece of kitchen roll to use as a type of blotter, or ink pad and picked up the ink with scrunched up cling film.  then stamped with this cling film onto Sheena's stamping card.  I've used snowflakes from one of Sheena's ornate snowflakes stamp sets and finished with as sentiment from the friends and family sentimental pack, using versafine ink in black.

Hope you like it and don't forget to take part.

Louise xx

Spectrum Noir Blog Challenge - November

Hi Everyone

I've tried to get myself in gear to ensure I don't miss making challenge cards as I've missed a few lately.  So here is my second one for November and there's not much time left to take part.  The theme for the  Spectrum Noir Challenge is winter or Christmas and I've chosen a beautiful bebunni image and coloured with my spectrum noir markers.

The image is  Christmas Angel and I've used centura pearl card for the card base.  I've matted and layered with mirri card and some beautiful paper i picked up from an art store in London, ages ago.  Its been sitting in my craft stash just waiting to be used.  to complete I've just added some ribbon, a snowflake and some glamour dust.

Colours used blender, ig1 3 5 8, eb1, pp1 ly1 ly3 jg1, lg2, lg4

Hope you like it and pop over to take part as you just may win a prize.

Louise xx

Crafters Companion Blog Challenge November - Christmas

Hi Everyone

Its just a little short of 4 months since i last posted and i just cant believe how long it is!!! Oh my word............ but i have been so busy with work and other stuff, NEC, Slovenia, trips to London........  (although i do think i should've had time to post at least a few times in those 4 months)  I've also had Labrynthitis??? I'm hoping its just about gone now and i have to say it is the most weird thing ever, vertigo is one of the symptoms and it knocks you for six every time it happens..........

So its nearly Christmas and I've not even bough one prezzie either.  But here is my card for the November challenge.

I've used Spectrum Noir Aquatints for the firs time, (i really don't like messy crafting), although i love the finished effect.  The colours ive used are 05, 08 and 25.  I htink 05 and 25 are from the pretty pastels and 08 is from the landscape set but i have mixed all my colours up so i'm unsure.  I've stamped with versamark onto Sheena's stamping card, using Sheena's snowflake stamps and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  Then I've masked off the top and bottom section of the card with stencil tape.  then to achieve the effect i have made my own blotting pad with aqua tints and kitchen towel and stamped the pattern with scrunched up cling film.  you can find a clip of how to do this on you tube and its soooo easy. However mine is not as good as the orginal one in the video. Then to finish I've stamped a few snowflakes in the darkest aquatint colour.  The sentiment is from the seasons greetings set of  stamps and the card base is centura pearl hint of silver matted with some black card.

Only 8 days left to join in and win a fab prize.

Hope you like it.

Louise xx

Spectrum Noir Blog Challenge - Nature

Hi Everyone

Today's card is very simple and its for the Spectrum Noir Blog Challenge for August, the theme is nature.

So while demoing the spectrum noir pencils i usually colour a very simple butterfly image in with only 3 Spectrum Noir Pencils pencils to showcase how simple the pencils are to blend on their own. This is with a mixture of colours, it doesn't always have to be 3 shades of the same toning colour. I've coloured a fair few of these now but never finished a card with it.  The three pencils i have used are all from the essential set, 11, 56, 67.  I've used no blending solution or paper stumps this is just the 3 pencils blended together.

The Card base is made from CC black card stock, I've matted the butterfly onto Sheena's stamping card after stamping a little leaf flourish in shabby shutters distress ink.  The butterfly digi is on the spectrum noir DVD but you can also buy a rubber stamp, Flying Colours.  The sentiment is from the greetings set of vintage floral sentimentals, I just love these they come in handy time after time.

A very simple but effective card i think and i just love the colours.

Hope you like it.

Louise xx

Spectrum Noir Blog Challenge - Summer

Hi Everyone

A little summery card to share with you today and this is my card for the July Spectrum Noir blog challenge, which is Summer.  And you only have today and tomorrow left to enter....... July is coming to an end............

So I have used my Spectrum Noir markers and Spectrum Noir Pencils with a beautiful Skipping  image from Lily of the valley, as it reminds me of summer with her pretty summery dress on too.  My base card is Kraft card and I've matted with nitwit papers, promises and promises solids.  I bought the frame a while ago but not found a card I wanted to use them on as they are so special, so thought this was perfect and centered it over a sentiment stamped in dusty concord distress ink.  I've used white Frantage on the main image and added a few pearls and lace ribbon and finished with a very small flower die  and added a little bit of bling from Chloe.

colours used

FS1, FS3, FS4, TN2, TN3, TN4, EB1, EB3, EB8, LV1, LV2 blender, cr3, pencils 81, 89, 96 with blending solution and paper stumps

Hope you like it.

Louise xx

Crafters Companion July Challenge - Sentiments

HI Everyone

Well I'm a month behind I must try to get up to date but the weather is just so nice.............

So July is nearly over but there is just time to enter the Challenge if you haven't already entered.

So this card is one i made using sheenas embossing folder from her taste of india range.  I've done this card twice at demo's and also at a recent workshop and everyone loved the effect.   I've used glycerine as my adhesive fort the embossing powder and its so easy. I've tried and tried with versamark and i just cant get the hang of it.

So all you need to do is using a hard brayer is paint glycerine over the roller and then transfer it to one side of your embossing folder, this one is ornate screen.  then emboss as usual through your die cutting machine, i used the reverse of some centura pearl card.  Then sprinkle with your chosen  embsossing powder, I've chosen gold.  then heat emboss to set.  Once you have done this then choose a couple of distress inks and apply with cut and dry foam.  I've used fired brick and seedless preserves.  then cut your piece of card down to fit your desired card blank.  I've used Kraft card and matted with black card.  then finished with some black ribbon and the sentiment is from sheenas Mandala stamp set, stamped in black embossing powder and cut out using tags 1.  Then to complete ive added a few drops of liquid pearls in a matching purple colour.

Hope you like it

Louise xx

Good Friends

HI Everyone

Card number two in two days and loving colouring in with my markers.  So yesterday my colour scheme was green and pink but I also bought some lush blue papers too at Doncaster so had to have another play.

The stamp is another Sherri Baldy stamp called Good friends but again i cant see where its for sale, it was on Create and craft but its sold out.  I've made my card base from Kraft card and matted with Maja Design Vintage Autumn Basics, its double sided so the criss cross reverse matches perfectly.  The frame is cut using a Cameo Frame and then I've cut the image out and placed her on top.  I've then added a wooden heart, banner cut in Kraft to match and just a few pearls.  The sentiment stamp is from the main image stamp set.

Spectrum Noir Markers  used  FS1, FS3, FS4, TN1, TN2, TN3, TN4, EB1, EB3, DG2, IG1, IG3, IG5, IG7, IG9, IG10, True Black, IB1, IB2, IB3, GB1.

Spectrum Noir Pencils used 15, 108, 96, 89, 71, 04,119

Hope you like it.

Louise xx

Start with a smile

Hi Everyone

Its been a while since I made a card and I've lost my inspiration and cant think of anything to make really.............  so today I thought I would have a go and used a lovely pink flowery paper i bought while at the Doncaster crafty show last week.  This stamp is called start with a smile and I bought it from create and craft a few weeks ago.  its sold out though and I cant find it anywhere else to link to it, sorry.  The presenter on create and craft was using our Spectrum Noir Markers too so i thought i would have a go.  Colours listed below, with the addition of the Spectrum Noir Pencils I have used too.

The card base is made using Kraft card and ive matted a Pion card stock, called my precious daughter, baby doll onto plain white card.  The green card is from a a Nit wit pad called Beach Bliss and ive used a My freind sentiment from Lily of the valley.  Ive added a few brads and rose lace and diestreed the edges with frayed burlap distress ink, this is also added to the wooden butterflies too.

Pens used, FS1, FS3, FS4, TN2, TN2, TN3, TN4, EB1, EB3, EB5, CG2, PP1, PP3, BG7, BG5, blender pen
Pencils 41, 90,89,57,92

Hope you like it.

Louise xx