21st birthday

Hello my friends. Today's offering uses Claritystamp stamps. This was a commissioned card for a football fan. I had planned one thing in my head but then as I was making it, the card seemed to evolve and get a life of its own.

I started with a piece of theuva card for main artwork. I stamped the large stamp in black archival ink and masked it off. Then i got some bubble wrap that I inked with versamark and stamped top and bottom of masked image. I clear embossed with fine powder.

Leaving mask on, I laid a piece of copy paper that I had cut in shape of hill across card. Using Clarity stencil brushes I inked the grass in shabby shutters and peeled paint distress ink. The sky was done in tumbled glass and broken china. Using same inks I also stamped sport randomly as shown. While mask was still on I added shade all around the stamp. I used darker distress inks such as stormy sky and faded jeans and forest moss. 

I lifted mask off and stamped sport in black archival ink.

I stamped footballer silhouette inside the o framer in black archival and heat set. Then i covered ball in versamark ink and clear embossed. Using make up sponges I inked the sky and grass with broken china and mowed lawn. (I had stamped sport on post-it and cut inside O out so I could mask off the area). At this point I decided that i wasn't going to ink stamp as I really liked the way it looked now. The stamp looked like it was away from background and I was looking through a hole. So I just stamped 4 little corners in tumbled glass. 

I finished topper off by inking all around edges in faded jeans and chipped sapphire ink and wiped ink off clear embossed areas so white shows up  more.

I matted on black and added a small footie sticker in corner.

 I stamped sentiment using letterbox kit and words in black archival on base card. I wound some blue twine around base card and stuck a ball on one side. As this lad is a Coventry fan I added the blue T-shirt and the cup wit blue twine on handles.

So I hope you like my make. I must say I was pleased with it and it does look more dimensional when you see it in your hands.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Claritystamp challenge - masculine

Sunday stamper - green

Simon says stamp Monday challenge - I ought to use them more (stamps on main topper)

Fan-tastic Tuesday - anything goes

fulfill your destiny.... visible image

Hello my crafty friends. Today it is an offering from Visible Image. As soon as I saw this set of stamp i had this image in my head and just had to commit it to paper. 

So on the back (matte) side of centura pearl card I started by stamping the castle in 2nd generation archival black. Then I stamped the stones repeatedly in watering can archival, having created some masks first.

Then it was time for the dragon which i stamped in black archival and clear embossed. Finally i laid down the trees in black archival ink. 

I laid down a moon mask and set about colouring my picture. I used spectrum noir pencils, purples, blues, pinks and some gray for sky and lots of shades of brown for castle and stones. 

For the sword I stamped it twice on a scrap of card in black archival and one I embossed in gold. I coloured the blade in silver wink of stella and the hilt in gold wink of stella. I fussy cut them, cutting only hilt off the gold one and layered them. I made a slit in the stone and slid sword through......behold Excalibur!

I stamped shield and embossed it in gold and gain fussy cut it. I shaped it with an embossing tool.

Next came the sentiment which i stamped in black archival and clear embossed. I went around edge with gold wink of stella.

Now it was time to mount card as shown. I also added some card candy to add some more interest.

Finished card is 8x8.

So here is my tribute to Arthur and as usual I hope you like it, Theresa xx

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Visible Image - man oh man

1st anniversary..... paper

 I can now share this card with you as the recipient has received it.  My friend asked me to make her a card for her husband on their first wedding anniversary. My brief was that he loved anything to do with birds.

So I decided to use mainly Tim Holtz stamps for this one.

So i got out a pad of TH 12x12 resist papers and chose one with a print background. I stamped the bird in versamark and embossed in black. I stamped the diamonds repeatedly in opposing corners and again embossed in black.  

In the other 2 corners i stamped a corner stamp in brushed corduroy and then the frame in flake and flitter glue and used Yorkshire dales gilding flakes. I stamped crown with same glue and used a piece of gold flake on it.

I stamped the flock of birds in same distress ink and also more speckles in distress ink to age the topper further. I then added some walnut stain around edges.

Then it was time to look for a background paper on which to mount topper. I couldn't find anything suitable so decided to make my own. I used more TH stamps and tumbled glass and old paper distress ink.

I stamped several images including swallow, nest eggs, feather, script and some sayings. I also brushed old paper all over the paper which tinted it softly. 

Then it was time to stamp the main sentiment. For this I used Clarity stamps, letterbox kit and words and combined them to make up the requested sentiment. I stamped in black archival ink.

Then it was time to mount the card which i did simply by matting topper on black and then on background paper. The whole thing was mounted on black base card.

Finished card is 8x8

As always I hope you like my make, Theresa xx

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Simon says stamp monday challenge - anything goes

Simon says stamp wednesday challenge - you gotta have friends (card made for friend )

DL art - thankful Thursday - masculine

craftindesert divas - favourite colour (black)

Scrapbooker PhD - add texture

stencils....

This card was totally mad using 2 stencils, distress inks and clear embossing powder. It was totally inspired by Jo Rice who uses stencils in the most innovative ways. I hope she doesn't mind but I think I used different colours to hers and the background is a different stencil.

I started with the tulip stencil first. I hinged it to 7x7 gelli card and using a makeup sponge I inked with squeezed lemonade and dried marigold distress inks for the flower head and peeled paint, bundled sage and forest moss for leaves. I then inked with versamark, removed stencil and clear embossed.

Then i attached the tangle stencil and using stencil brushes I inked with milled lavender, seedless preserve and dusty concord distress inks. I rounded corners off and matted on black.

Finished card is 8x8.

I do hope you like my make, Theresa xx

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Simon says stamp wednesday challenge - stencil it

Addicted to stamps challenge blog - clean and simple

monochrome.....

My offering for today is black and white. When I saw the Indigoblu challenge a couple of weeks ago I knew i wanted to make this card but I somehow couldn't do it. Finally I managed and here it is.

I cut 2 equal sized square pieces of black and white card and cut them across diagonally so i had 2 triangles. I stamped the flourish in versamark and embossed in white on black and black on white.

Next I stamped the butterfly twice, once on white card and then on black card. Again I embossed them in Opposite colours. I fussy cut them and cut them in half. I attached the black embossed one on the black card and the white embossed on the white as above. I only put glue along middle so wings are shaped and free.

I matted on opposing colours and to finish off I added a trail for the butterfly and added rock candy and black distress glitter to it. The card was finished off with some pearls in the corners.

finished card is 7x7

I hope you like my offering, Theresa.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

IndigoBlu - monochromatic

Fan-Tastic tuesday - anything goes
Creative moments - anything goes/monochromatic
7 kids challenge - anything goes with embossing
Dream valley challenges - monochrome

Sweetlilac flowers Challenge - summer

 Hello crafters. Time is really flying and it is time for a new challenge over at Sweet lilac. The theme this time is summer. Here is my project for this month.
Last week it was my son's confirmation and so i decided to make this card for him.

I started by making background. I stamped the dove from Claritystamp first in black archival and clear embossed. I added a hint of colour with distress markers and then went over image with a versamark pen and clear embossed. I went over it a second time and re-embossed to give a smoother finish. i went around dove with tumbled glass marker to create a shadow. 

Then I used the stencil from the woodpecker lesson again from claritystamp and using the stencil brushes from clarity stamp i inked the hills with shabby shutters and peeled paint distress inks. I stamped the trees ( new NDC stamp from Clarity) in fern green archival ink. The sun was created by inking through stencil with scattered straw and mustard seed. Then i lifted stencil and inked lightly to remove whiteness with what was left on brush.

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To create upper card I die cut a window with a spellbinders die and also cut the fancy lattice from white card. I attached it to aperture. I stamped sentiment in black archival using the letterbox kit from  Claritystamp. Then I added the ivy. I inked through a stencil using shabby shutters and then added clear iridescent paste. I had to do this in stages and wait for it to dry in between as the stencil was narrow.

I then assembled the card and added blooms and leaves from Sweetlilac flowers along windowsill. i finished card off with some pearls.

Finished card is 8x8.

As usual I hope you like my offering. Please join us over at the Sweet lilac Blog challenge and don't forget that the winner gets a hamper of gorgeous flowers, Theresa xx

things with wings ....

Hello my friends. As I was browsing the blogs I follow, i saw that the new challenge over at the fussy and fancy site is all about wings. I then remebered that I still had this Easter card that I hadn't blogged and so I decided to give it an airing.

I started by blending distress ink on the reverse of centura pearl card. I used rusty hinge, tea dye, ripe persimmon, mustard seed and squeezed lemonade. I then got some elastic bands around the brayer and spritzed liberally with water. I rolled it over the card and dabbed it with kitchen paper after a few seconds.

Then i stamped this beautiful feather from Claritystamp across background in potting soil archival ink. I stamped it in different directions so it looks like the feathers are tumbling. I darkened edges with walnut stain. Next I stamped chicks again from claritystamp in potting soil archival and clear embossed. I coloured them in with distress markers. I fussy cut them and attached them to background. I added glossy accents to their eyes, beaks and feet (couldn't remember what you call them!) I stamped sentiment also from Clarity in potting soil and again clear embossed.

To finish card off i added some white enamel dots and added some highlights with a white pen. I matted and layered on complimentary colours and stuck to base card. Finished card is 7x7.

As always i hope you like my offering, Theresa xx.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Fussy and fancy challenge - things with wings

Fan-tastic Tuesday challenge - anything goes

Stampin' for the weekend - anything goes

painty outdoors.....

Hello my friends. It's been a while since I blogged but I have been quite busy. My older boy had his Confirmation on Saturday and my brother was over along with his family as he was the sponsor. So no time for any crafting alas.

This card was born from a gelli print made using acrylic paints. One of those that you keep for whenever, just in case. I was rummaging through my pile of prints when this yellow one caught my attention. 

So I stamped the image in black archival ink. The stamp is from paperartsy. I inked it with stencil brushes using old paper and antique linen to remove the starkness of the white. i then distressed edges and inked with walnut stain.

Next i used a Tim Holtz fading embossing folder and embossed a piece of black card/ i highlighted embossing with renaissance gold gilding wax.

Then i turned to the base card. Using the rest of the stamps from the set, i stamped randomly with various distress inks. I also inked it with old paper and stencil brushes.

Then it was time to turn my attention to the sentiment. I wanted to use the font in happy but didn't have rest of sentiment in it. So after creating background with same stamps and brown distress inks I got to work on the sentiment. Happy was 1 stamp. Father is a composition a few stamps and the 'f' is drawn freehand. The 'd' in day is also freehand and ay come from birthday.

I distressed edges and added some renaissance gold gilding wax and mounted on black card.

I finished card off by adding some cosmic shimmer pva dots in olympic gold and chocolate brown.

As usual I hope you like my make, Theresa xx

I would like to enter the card in the following challenges:

Fussy and fancy challenge - outdoors
Simon says stamp monday challenge - paint
Simon says stamp wednesday challenge - father's day/ masculine