Tinstar Designs

Well hello there – it’s another Sunday where I’m getting my craft on and playing along with a stack of challenges – warning – this is a long post!

Challenge Card #1 is for AAA Cards #137.

This card was super easy and quick to make. I used a stencil from Visible Images (borrowed from my friend Michelle) which I sponged in Catherine Pooler Designs inks, stamped a sentiment from CAS-ual Fridays ‘Shenanigans’ then used a stitched rectangle die to cut out the panel and mounted onto a white card base – done!

Challenge Card #2 is for CAS Colours & Sketches #316.

I stamped some floral images from a new Altenew Stamp set called ‘Ornate foliage’ which hasn’t been released yet, but I was lucky to receive a set when I was at the Melbourne Altenew workshop earlier this month. I coloured one main image in with my Altenew markers. The sentiment is from Stampin Up ‘Part of my story’ which I punched out and popped up on my card base.

Challenge Card #3 is for Just Us Girls #483.

I used the Visible Images butterfly stencil once again sponged with Catherine Pooler Design inks and another sentiment from CAS-ual Fridays ‘Shenanigans’ stamp set. This time I did a double stitched rectangle die cut and offset the middle panel to be slightly ‘off the edge’.

Challenge Card #4 is for Less is More #393

I played with a new stencil set from Altenew called ‘Layered Dahlia’ that I sponged in Altenew inks in Rose Quartz and Puffy Heart. I’ve never tried a layered stencil, but was surprised at how easy it was. The sentiment is from Hero Art called ‘Snarky mix and match messages’ inked in Purple Wine. I used my largest stitched rectangle die on the panel and mounted it on a white card base.

Challenge Card #5 is for two challenges: Fusion Card Challenge #Cheery eggs and Just Add Ink #452.

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I was inspired by the colours of the eggs in the jar, so used some alcohol inks in the rainbow colours. I then punched out some circles from the AI panel to match the JAI sketch, stamped a sentiment from the Altenew ‘Bad days happen’ set which I popped up with some dimensionals and mounted it all on a white card base.

Well, I think that might be it for today – thanks for looking (bearing with me through this long post) and have a great day.

Well hello everyone  and thank you for joining us for the Rain Rain Go Away Blog Hop. This is a blog hop  featuring projects with rain, clouds, umbrellas or rainbows.

You should have arrived from Julia, if not you can start from the beginning with Connie.

This is a one day blog hop, but you have until 10pm Sunday 14th April (US Pacific Coast time) or 5pm Monday 15th April (Melbourne time) to finish hopping and leaving your love for all of these talented crafters.

We have four awesome sponsors for this hop – Cowtown Creates (Laura McGinnis has graciously donated a $20 gift voucher to her online Stampin Up store), Holli Pruitt Rodriguez (Sunflower Holi – is giving away this gorgeous Easter Kit by Simple Stories), Liz Mullen (Liz is donating an awesome envelope punch board, stickers and a pen) and Sarah Biswabic(Crazy About Cards – is giving away this awesome package containing a wreath kit, a stamp set, 2 rolls of twine and 2 rolls of washi tape).

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So, what do you need to do to win? Easy… become a follower of each of the fabulous blogs in this hop and leave each of them a comment, letting them know what you like best about their projects. If you’re one of the lucky winners there will be free shipping to the USA, but if you’re worldwide you will be asked to pay shipping. You’ll need to hop and leave a comment on every blog to be eligible to win. Winners will be announced on Wednesday 17th April (US Pacific Coast time) or Thursday 18th April (Melbourne time) at Connie Can Crop.

For my card, I used a new to me stamp set from Altenew called ‘Rain or Shine’ for my card.

I stamped the lightening and sentiment and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I then sponged the whole background in Wilted violet distress oxide ink. I then stamped the clouds in Seedless Preserves and Black Soot Distress Oxide ink. I spritzed with some water to get the inks blending a bit to soften them. Then I added this ink piece to a black card panel and mounted them on a white card base.

Why not join in the blog hopping fun and see what the other artists have created. Next in the hop list is: Sue.

However, if you get lost along the way, here’s our full line up:

• Connie
• Amanda
• Rebecca
• EK
• Nikki
• Holli
• Kim
• Shannon
• Jearise
• Cindy
• Alicia
• Veronica
• Liz
• Sarah
• Julia
• Tristan (me)
• Sue
• Rebecca Ann
• Charlotte

I’m also going to enter this card over on the Sisterhood of Crafters challenge blog which is all about April showers.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Hello there, it’s time for another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Dawn  is our lovely hostess this week with an All About Occasions Challenge.

I decided to create a card that was all about being thankful for having someone in my life. I probably need to make quite a few of these cards to thank all of those in my life who provided support and encouragement when my mother passed away in January this year.

For my card, I created an Alcohol Pearls background in green (can you see the pretty shimmer?). I then used a new die cut from Altenew called ‘Leaf frame cover die’ and stamped the sentiment from Stampin Up called ‘Amazing Life’. I actually used the negative die cut pieces on this card.

Not to be wasteful, I used the other parts of the die cut on this next card. The sentiment this time is from Kaisercraft called ‘Cherry Blossom’.

Come join in the fun and make a card for your favourite occasion. Check out the projects that the other artists at Watercooler Wednesday Challenges have created, then take the challenge and link your creation to the challenge post. We’d love to have you join us.  You have until Tuesday, 16th April at 10:00 Melbourne Time or Monday 5pm US Mountain Time to link up your project.

I’m going to enter these cards into The Male Room challenge #108 which is all about spring, as to me spring is all about vibrant green foliage and grasses and the Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 #157 challenge as I think my framed leaves and sentiment fits the sketch.

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Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Well, this month is we have another challenge over at Christmas at Sweet Stamping challenge blog with an optional twist to make it monochrome.

My card this month uses a green monochrome look with some new alcohol pearls. I added a touch of neutral (black) with a scene die cut of a house and some trees. I’ve opted for no sentiment as I wanted the AI background to be the hero of this card.

Please pop over to Christmas at Sweet Stamping to see all the lovely DT inspiration, I’m so happy to be part of this team and looking forward to having lots of Christmas cards and decorations made before we reach December. You have until Tuesday 7th May at 6pm (UK time) or Wednesday 8th May 3am (Melb time) to enter.

Now I had a negative panel left from the die cut, so decided not to waste it and I created another AI background and laid the negative over the top for a different look.

I love it when I can get a 2 for 1 when using die cuts!

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Well hello and welcome to today’s post. It’s time for another challenge over at Get Creative Challenges where its Anything Goes.

Our sponsors for this challenge are: All Dressed Up, Ikes Art Digital Stamps and Fred, She Said Designs.

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I have used a digital stamp from All Dressed Up ‘Dad’s Day Off’ which I printed the dog in the hammock and then roughly water coloured him in. I added some twine bows to simulat the rope tying the hammock to the die cut palm trees.

He looks like he’s having a very relaxing time.

Check out the Get Creative Challenge blog for details on the sponsor prizes and links to the other fabulous projects from the DT and come join in our fun and share you anything goes project by 2pm Wednesday 1st May (Melbourne time) or 11pm Tuesday 30th April (US Eastern Standard time)

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Hello there, it’s time for another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Donna is our lovely host this week with an anything goes feminine challenge.

My card today uses the ink smooshing technique. I smooshed Catherine Pooler inks in Grape Crush, Flirty Fuchsia and Pixed Dust on a piece of acetate, spritzed it with water and smooshed it onto a watercolour panel (sometimes you get imperfections but that’s the uniqueness of a handmade card!). I then stamped a sentiment, flower and leaves from an Altenew set called ‘Beautiful day” in black ink and mounted it onto a black card base.

I really like how pretty this card looks.

Come join in the fun and make a feminine card. Check out the projects hat the other artists at Watercooler Wednesday Challenges have created, take the challenge and link your creation to the challenge post. We’d love to have you join us.  You have until Tuesday, 9th April at 10:00 Melbourne Time or Monday 8th April 5pm US Mountain Time to link up your project.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Hello there, it’s time for another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Marsha is our lovely hostess this week with a all about occasions challenge.

I decided to do some punch art on my card. I made an Easter bunny behind trying to get back into his burrow. I stamped some floral line art around the burrow hole, added a little bit of white gel pen and lightly embossed the panel with a wood grain embossing folder.

Come join in the fun and make a card for your choice of occasion. Check out the projects that the other artists at Watercooler Wednesday Challenges have created, then take the challenge and link your creation to the challenge post. We’d love to have you join us.  You have until Tuesday, 2nd April at 10:00 Melbourne Time or Monday 1at April 5pm US Mountain Time to link up your project.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Well, it’s Sunday again – early morning while the rest of the house is still asleep – so I’m in my craft room getting creative!

First up is a card for CAS Watercolour, The Sisterhood of Crafters and The Flower Challenge.

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I haven’t tried water colouring on vellum before and it was difficult to keep the vellum flat once the water was applied. I created a bit of a window effect on my card so that you could see through the vellum and get the full effect of the colours. I used a stamp set from Hot off the Press called ‘easy watercolor florals’ which I heat embossed in white before I coloured the flower and leaves in.

Next up is another card for 3 challenges – CAS Mix Up, CAS Christmas and CAS Colours & Sketches.

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It’s been awhile since I tried the faux stained glass effect and I had forgotten how time consuming it can be. I stamped the deer image from the Kanban ‘reindeer & snowflakes’ set in CP Midnight ink and smooshed it into some Old Olive ink. I then covered it over and over again in Versmark and clear embossing powder. It then went in the freezer to set the embossing firm before I then bent it to make the embossing crack – looking like stained glass. I stamped some snowflakes in Sahara Sand ink and swiped another panel in Pacific Point before layering them onto a white card base. I hope this still fits the CAS brief of all the challenges.

Well, that’s it for today – the rest of the house has woken up! Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Hello there, it’s time for another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Karen is our lovely hostess this week with a masculine anything goes challenge.

I made a bit of a nautical themed card this time using a stamp set I got with a craft magazine. I stamped the whale tail, sentiments and sunray images in Stampin Up Night of Navy ink. Then coloured them in with my Stampin Blends. I used the matching die cuts to cut them out, then mounted on some red and blue layers onto a white card base.

Come join in the fun and make a masculine card. Check out the projects that the other artists at Watercooler Wednesday Challenges have created, then take the challenge and link your creation to the challenge post. We’d love to have you join us.  You have until Tuesday, 26th March at 10:00 Melbourne Time or Monday 25th March 5pm US Mountain Time to link up your project.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Today my card is all about ‘green’ for St Patrick’s Day. I was inspired by 3 challenges that fit the green theme:

• Little Red Wagon #488 – Boyz II Men
• The Male Room #106 – Gorgeous Green
• Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #130 – Ombre

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I went to my stash of Catherine Pooler Design products. I used inks in Melon Ice, Garden Party, Lime Rickey and Grass Skirt sponged onto a stitched, die cut panel. I spritzed a bit of water to soften the ink blend and then stamped the main sentiment from the ‘Fill in the blanks’ stamp set in Midnight ink. I mounted the panel inside another stitched, die cut and then onto a white card base.

Not very snarky but I loved the ombre inspiration! This card will now go into my stash ready for Father’s Day in September.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.