Author: tinstar05

Now here’s a technique that I’ve neglected in recent times. I’ve been too busy with OLC cards that I’d forgotten how great a dry embossed background can complement a focal image.

The current challenges at Less is More and Try Stampin’ – or not – on Tuesday are all about dry embossing.

Now I got a little bit carried away and created 3 cards, all just that little bit different from each other.

This first one is for my mother who is being an absolute superstar while undergoing cancer treatment for a second time. I used a digital image from Some Odd Girl and the sentiment is from the Sweet Stamp Shop ‘super mom’ set. I coloured her with my alcohol markers and then added her to a dry embossed base using an embossing folder form Stampin Up.

This next card will go into my birthday card stash and I really like the effect I achieved with the embossed background that I lightly sponged over to give it that worn look. The embossing folder is from Spellbinders #E3D-004 basket weave and I die cut the butterfly from some scrap DSP. The sentiment is from an old Stampin Up set.

The last card will go into my masculine card stash and combines dry embossing with some scrap DSP banners and a couple of coloured dots for the finishing effect. The embossing folder is from Cuttlebug and the sentiment is an old Stampin Up one.

Not sure why this image is so small but I’m sure you get the idea.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

I have been enjoying watching the winter olympics – there have been some amazing performances from some outstanding athletes.  I think some of the feats and tricks we have been seeing have been simply unbelievable – those snowboarders who’ve been doing the 1060 turns – wow!

So when I saw the current The Male Room challenge #79 – Sports/Winter Olympics I just knew I wanted to play along and the card I wanted to make.

I created my background using smooshed peacock feathers distress oxide ink with a bit of white puffy paint to simulate snow and added the digital extreme snowboarder from Stampin Up. The sentiment is from the Hero Arts ‘Awesome’ set.

Another great masculine card for my stash – done!

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Today my card is adding to my masculine birthday card stash and I was inspired by the current CAS-ual Friday Stamps challenge. I love their sketches as they make you think more creatively.

I used a CAS-ual Fridays stamp set called ‘Shenanigans” for my main focus sentiment, stamped using Catherine Pooler Design inks in It’s a boy, Fiesta blue and Something borrowed with some Momento tuxedo black. I used Stampin Up Whisper white and Not quite navy card stock. Some blue and white twine from the Twinery finishes it off.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Today my card is a cheeky birthday card inspired by the current challenge over at Sieze the Birthday where the topping is to use candles on your birthday card.

I used that cheeky pig stamp I got from my friend Jo in Adelaide (not sure where she got him but he’s adorable) and I coloured him with my Stampin Up Blends, then fussy cut him out and popped him up on some dimensional inside the circle of candles stamp from the Winner & Walter set ‘Ring in the Celebrations’ which was embossed in Melon Mambo from Stampin Up. The sentiment is from a set by Simon Says Stamp called ‘Wishing you hogs and kisses’. For the final touch I added a little bit of Melon Mambo twine and I was done – oink oink!

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

After the week I’ve had I really needed some time in my craft room to re-set my mind and refocus on what’s important.

Todays cards were inspired by a number of challenges:

• Shopping Our Stash #340: Olympics! Portray a sport, any sport!
• CASology Week #286 – Butterfly
• Freshly Made Sketches #323 – A Sketch by Karren
• WWC156 – Penny’s Feminine “Anything Goes” Challenge
• Gerda Steiner February Challenge

I’ve been watching a bit of the Winter Olympics on TV and seeing everyone all rugged up and cold is so far from the weather we have been experiencing of late that I went with a summer sporty theme for my SOS card to match the Aussie weather. The surfer and sentiment are from a Stampin Up digital set which I printed over a sponged card base using my distress oxide inks. I spritzed some water droplets to give the effect of waves and cut the sentiment banner on an angle to match the direction of the wave.

This next card is for the CASology challenge and uses a stamp that I hadn’t used in a long time. It is the Stampin Up Swallowtail stamp which I heat embossed and then used my Brushos to colour. The sentiment is from the “Watercolor Wings” Stampin Up set. I love the vibrancy of this card and will be giving it to my mother to remind her of how special she is to me and how I cherish every moment I have with her.

Next up is my card for FMS and WWC. I loved this sketch and this was such an easy card to make. I used some scraps of DSP to form the black and white panels behind my butterfly which is from the Stampin Up “Watercolor Wings” set stamped using Catherine Pooler Design inks. The sentiment is from another Stampin Up Set called “Jar of Love”. I probably could have entered this for the CASology challenge too 🙂

Lastly is my card for the February Gerda Steiner challenge using her adorable bunnies digital image. These I coloured with my Stampin Up Blends. I created the background using a MFT stencil ‘sunrays’ and Distress Inks in squeezed lemon, scattered straw, mustard seed and wild honey. The sentiment is from Concord & 9th “Say hello”.

Thanks for looking and my mind is now in a better place.

Who remembers being told they’d end up with square eyes if they watch too much TV by their mum?  Well if you were watching this TV you certainly wouldn’t!

The current challenge over at The Male Room is to create a card with a TV theme.

I was quite literal in my thinking. Growing up we’d often see the TV test pattern when there was something wrong with the transmission and I thought this went well with a sentiment for a person who was feeling under the weather – both having difficulties!

This was nice and CAS to make. I used a die from Whimsy Stamps to make the TV and then printed off the test pattern for the screen, typed the sentiment on my PC, gave the buttons a little bit of silver embossing powder, mounted everything on grey cardstock and the card was done.

I’m also entering this card in the current Watercooler Wednesday Challenge which is any anything goes theme.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

As we are getting closer to Valentines Day I thought I’d better get a card made for my hubby. He’s not into soppy displays of love so I had to keep it minimal while still letting him know that he is loved.

I was inspired by 3 different challenges for my card:

• Less is More #364 – Music
• Calling All Sistahs #09 – colour theme and
• CAS-ual Fridays #192 – Hearts, Hearts & More Hearts

I used the Heart Note die from CAS-ual Fridays  with some scraps of cardstock in a variety of blues with a pop of grey glitter as per the colour scheme and I love how the bottom of the die cut note is a heart. The sentiment is from the Love Notes set also from CAS-ual Fridays stamped in Catherine Pooler Designs Black Jack ink on Whisper White card stock from Stampin Up then popped onto a Stampin Up Basic Grey card base.

Can’t get any less soppy than this card don’t you think?

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

The other week I got a delivery in the mail from Altenew which contained two stamp sets that I can’t seem to get enough of – Halftone Circles and Halftone Stars.

The current challenge over at CAS(E) this Sketch inspired me to get inky with these stamp sets using my Catherine Pooler Designs inks (I think I used every one of them in the range!). I did quite a bit of masking on these cards to keep them one layer and I’m really happy with how they look and my stash is now gradually growing.

Here are the five cards I made!

So, there you have it, thanks for looking and have a great day.

You ever had that moment when you realise you’ve forgotten a friend’s birthday? Yep, think this has happened to me more than once!

So this next card is going into my stash for when I forget again!

I used a rather contrite looking pig from a stamp set I received from a friend of mine in the mail the other day. It came without any brand details so sorry I can’t tell you who made it. I coloured him in with my Stampin Up Blends and added a sentiment I created on my computer.

I kept it simple following the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches and used the key word from CASology of Late to inspire my design.

Thanks for looking and I hope you never forget a birthday but if you do, maybe I’ve inspired you!

In previous posts I mentioned that I’m taking a break from coffee. I’m trying to kick sugar and I worked out I was having 4 coffees a day with 2 sugars in each which meant 8 teaspoons of sugar a day – clearly not a good thing.

It’s been tough and to compound my pain all I seem to be doing is playing along with challenges that focus on coffee – sucker for punishment I say!

All items on my card are from Stampin Up – Coffee Cafe stamp set, Early Espresso ink, Petal Passion DSP, Linen thread and Whisper White cardstock.

Using the ink and the DSP I sponged an ombre effect for the background piece, stamped and die cut the coffee cup then added it to my base with some dimensionals and linen thread for the final touch.

I’m entering this card in the following 3 challenges:

• SUO Challenge 192: Fun With Just One Color!
• Addicted to CAS Challenge #128 – Ombre
• Coffee Loving Cardmakers – Cuppa Joe!

2 more detox weeks to go then I’m going to try some coffee without sugar  – wish me luck.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.