Clean and simple

The weather in Adelaide today has been awful. Perfect for staying home and making cards! After such a long break in cardmaking, it feels like my brain is trying to make up for it by constantly thinking of possible card designs. I like fairly simple cards, so I decided to try a one-layer card. The challenge I find with simple one-layer cards is that if I make a mistake, it's not easy to cover the mistake up. Take for example, the card below.

 

Everything was going fairly well until I stamped the leaf! The poor placement of the leaf resulted in a fair bit of angst on my part because I really don't think it worked where it was. So I decided to flip the card over and try again, see exhibit B.

 

 

 

It still didn't work for me. Cue some swearing. I was tempted to throw the entire thing out, but I figured having a card handy would be better than wasting good cardstock, so I flipped it back over (lesser of two evils) and embossed the sentiment in black. If only I could just shift the leaf over and down slightly in the first try so it doesn't "clash" with the red.

 

This next card is a CASE from a card done by Maile Belles, who makes simple but elegant cards and whose style I love.

 

 

 

 

And then I decided to make one more card using many colours and the Polka Dot Basics II set from Papertrey Ink.

 

 

As I mentioned before, mistakes aren't easy to cover up and I really didn't want to start from scratch (or waste good cardstock!) so I left the splotchy stamping in the top left corner as it was. My original idea was to use my Scor-Buddy to score a line across which would've acted as the divider between the pattern and the white space, but that didn't work out so well. The addition of a thin strip of ribbon improved the look a lot, in my opinion.

 

 



 

 

I used a Fiskars stamp press for the first time, and it worked really well! I've had it lying around for a few years, so I thought it was high time I used it. It really helped me in keeping the dots straight horizontally, it was just my bad judgement that results in the uneven spaces between each line of dots.

 

Anyway, that's enough crafting for the day. I'm off to curl up on the couch and watch some TV! Thanks for stopping by!

 

 





 

FTL 254

After 10 months of not making anything, out come two cards in one day! I've always wanted to try paper piecing and I decided to use the current Clean & Simple sketch challenge to try this technique.

 

The  paper piecing was a bit messy, with raggedy cut edges, but it was fun! I used a few items from my craft stash that have been hanging around for ages, but never been used before. One was the cupcake stamp from Unity Stamps and another was the dew drops from Robin's Nest. Thanks for swinging by!

 

Freshly Made sketch #99 & CAS-ual Fridays #112

I think it's been about 10 months since I made anything, and I suddenly wanted to start creating again! I decided to pair the Freshly Made sketch challenge with the CAS-ual Fridays colour challenge.

 



It didn't turn out quite how I thought it would, but it feels nice to be making cards again! Thanks for taking a look!

Saturday Sketch Challenge 271

Hello! I needed to make a birthday card at the last minute and chose the awesome sketch by Stamping 411.
 

 

 

 

I don't really like how it turned out, but I'm out of time so it'll just have to do! I used a lot of retired DSP and cardstock for this, namely Ruby Red and the Sweet Slumber Specialty paper.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

FTL 205

Well, it's been a very long time since I've posted anything, and i apologise profusely for my absence! It's not that I haven't been making anything, it's more I haven't had the time to create as I used to. Plus, I haven't taken part in any challenges for months and months, so it feels good to be back!

I've always loved the Clean & Simple sketch challenge! This is what FTL sketch 205 looks like:

And here is my offering...

 

The tea dye ink turned out a lot lighter than I thought, but I suppose it gives it a much more subtle look. Anyhoo, hopefully this means I'll be getting back into the swing of things and participating in more challenges. I'll be back to post more of what I've made during my extended (and unplanned!) hiatus.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

FTL 162

Here is by take on the latest Clean & Simple sketch challenge using PTI's Botanical Silhouettes as well as Half & Half.

Thanks for stopping by!

Slacker

Has it really been 4 months since I last posted anything? Really??? Talk about slack! I apologise profusely, but my muse has been away and shows no signs of coming back. See exhibit A below...

I made this card for a friend's birthday, and I was very desperate (I don't create well under pressure) and short on time. I cringe whenever I look at this photo, especially considering the ginormous mistake I made which meant the card had to be flipped around and opens left to right. My cards at the moment are very hit or miss. Sorry for the crummy card, Zhi, I'll make it up to you!

Now onto exhibit B below, an A5 card made in desperation using my Cricut. Again, I cringe. Enough said.

Still, there is a glimmer of hope in a card I made when a friend gave birth to a wee baby girl (hello Annabel!).

I also bought some new goodies from my fave store, PTI. I especially like their Wonderful Words dies and matching stamp set, which I used on a birthday card.

Soooo.........I needed a belated birthday card for my awesome personal trainer whose birthday was last week but I didn't know about. With the absence of any creativity, I fell to CASEing a card by Maile Belles, changing the colours a wee bit. I kinda like it. The peach colour makes it so fresh and bright. And the satin ribbon is just beautiful stuff.

And another birthday card, this time for a super awesome gym instructor who is always fabulous and full of pep. Her classes are the best! It's another CASE, and the original is by Gina K. I loooooooooooove this PTI set!

A close up of the glitter on the flowers, courtesy of a clear Spica pen.

Well, that's all for the moment. Hopefully I'll get back into the rhythm of card making again. Fingers crossed!

It's just paper

I made this card for my aunt's birthday, and it nearly drove me nuts! The chiyogami/yuzen paper is so thin and delicate that the Cricut kept ripping it apart. I wasted an entire A4 sheet of the stuff trying to cut the fan out and was almost in tears. I finally figured out (after the entire episode) I'd have to interface the paper on thin CS, probably with JAC paper. Why didn't I think of it earlier???? D'OH! Ah, well. I keep telling myself it's just paper. :)

I got a shout out on the Wee Memories blog for this card, and I'm absolutely thrilled to bits!! Hoot hoot hooray! Thanks for stopping by!

ABSC 36

I really like the latest Annabelle Stamps sketch and when I saw it, I immediately thought of PTI's Take Three series. I needed a birthday card, so I decided to add in the sentiment. Apologies for the poor photo, but I couldn't take the photo in natural light. Thanks for stopping by!

FTL 132

Wow, it's been a while since I made any cards or participated in any challenges! So after a long hiatus, here is my offering for FTL 132.





It feels so good to be creating again, and many thanks to the Clean & Simple Stamping team for another fabulous sketch! Thanks for stopping by.

Papertrey Ink's 4th Anniversary!

Hello all! So, it's been almost a month since I last made a card because I've been so busy having fun with Project Life! Still, this February is Papertrey Ink's 4th anniversary, and they're having an extra special release over at Nichole Heady's blog. The first Make it Monday challenge was to use similar sentiments to make a card and I couldn't resist playing along, especially since participating gets you in the running for a $250 PTI gift certificate!! Be still, my heart! Without further ado, here is my creation.



Happy anniversary, PTI!

U r awesome!

Thought I'd share some cards I made last week but couldn't upload because the recipients hadn't received them yet. The first one was made for a friend's birthday, using my brand new Banner Builder set from PTI. Love the matching dies!



I was playing with the SCAL2 software for the Cricut and decided to try incorporating a word into the card base, inspired by this card by Kristina Werner. It was surprising how easy this was to make! Love the Cricut and SCAL!



I was reading Michelle Wooderson's blog the other day, and discovered Becky Higgins and the Project Life phenomenon. I was completely blown away by the idea and have promptly jumped on the bandwagon, having ordered my 2011 kit two days ago. So now I'm impatiently waiting for it to arrive. I've wanted to make scrapbooks for ages, but have always found it difficult. I've already started taking photos for this week, and I can't wait to start! Will update once I receive the kit and start. :-) Thanks for stopping by!

FTL #113

It's been ages since I took part in a Clean & Simple sketch challenge! Apologies for the crummy photo, I haven't the time to take another until later in the week but I'll try for a better one.





The flowers were stamped in Whisper White ink and coloured in using copics, an idea that came from Nichole Heady (3rd card down). I originally planned on using PTI's Linen & Canvas impression plate, but accidentally used one that was already on the Big Shot from a previous card. I only realized it was the wrong plate when it was about half-way through! D'oh! There wasn't time to make another, so I stuck with it. Thanks for stopping by!

One layer card

Hello everyone! Apologies for not updating the blog for a while, I've been a bit lazy! However, I've made lots of stuff, and I'll slowly start posting them.

I absolutely LOVE some of the new Stampin' Up! colours, notably Daffodil Delight and Peach Parfait. I still think the names are corny, though. :) I teamed Daffodil and Peach with Pumpkin Pie to make my first ever one layer card. Go me! This is the 4th (or 5th?) version of this card, and I really like how simple it is. And did I mention I love the colours?



Let me just say that I found the stamp-a-ma-jig absolutely essential! I tried stamping without it, and it was a disaster! I'd really like to try this with more colours, but I have to sit down and figure out which monotone colours go well together. Thanks for stopping by!

Did I mention...

that I'm addicted to PTI's Beautiful Blooms II dies? I've only used one of the three die sets so far and without any of the matching stamps. But I loooooooooove them!



Apologies for the crummy photography, but I didn't get a chance to photograph the card in natural light. Now for exhibit #2.



Some people think that black is an unlucky colour to use on a birthday card, but it really makes the colours pop. Thankfully, the person I gave it to didn't care. I'm so addicted to PTI, they're awesome and I can't get enough of their products!

Can't get enough of.......

Beautiful Blooms II dies from PTI! They're so addictive, especially paired with the leaves/stem image from Four of a Kind. My mojo has been missing for the longest time, so it feels awesome to make something that I'm happy with. I know I'm a bit late for the FTL 103 sketch, but I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon anyway. Their sketches are always fantastic, and this one really got my brain working.





Ahhhh.....I revel in the joy when you love a card that you've made, especially after a long break from stamping. This card makes me happy!

FTL 94

Since Crab & Company was still sitting out on the table from this card, I thought I'd use it together with the latest FTL sketch to make a birthday card for a friend.





Must dash, thanks for stopping by!

Crab & company

I thought I'd break out Crab & Company for Makeesha's latest sketch challenge, seeing as it hasn't been inked for a long time. I took a leaf out of Chantelle's book and flipped the sketch, and I really like the way it looks.





I love how happy and colourful the crab looks, but it was such a pain masking him (or her?) before rolling on the background with Versamark. I also like how colouring with Copics turns out of Kraft CS. Must try more if this in the future. Thanks for looking!

FTL 93

Have you ever looked at a sketch and fallen instantly in love with it? I fell for FTL 93, and I think it's da bomb!





I broke out my brand new Turning a New Leaf set from PTI as well as a sentiment from this year's anniversary set. After several weeks of crafter's block, it was a lot of fun to make something and enjoy the process. I'm tempted to use the same sketch with Fancy Flourishes next. Thanks for looking!

FTL 88

It seems to be raining birthdays here, and this is a card I made using the latest FTL sketch.





I seem to have unintentionally CASEd the sample card (which is gorgeous!), even using the same sentiment from PTI's Birthday Basics set. Speaking of PTI, their stuff is just wonderful and you should check them out. Be warned, it's addictive. :)

Thanks for taking a look!