Autumn Leaves

The colours of the leaves are stunning outside, so I can't stop creating inked leaves and using all leaf dies I can find in the craft room. I've been so much into die cutting lately, much more than stamping to be honest. Today I made a bit of a mess with Distress Inks and STAMPlorations dies with a very strong CAS flair. It's just so much fun getting that ink everywhere and then splattering with water and some more ink. 

Today's card was inspired by the blue background and beautiful fall leaves in the inspiration image over at Fusion Card Challenges. I was also inspired by the ink blending themes over at AAA Cards and Daring Cardmakers.

Card: Neenah Solar white card

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Broken China, Blueprint Sketch, Faded Jeans, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Festive Berries, Barn Door, Aged Mahogany, Vintage Photo

Stamps: STAMPlorations Trendy Feathers 1 (retired)

Dies: STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves 2 coordinating dies

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Cozy Autumn Cuppa

Today was the first morning this season I had to scrape the windscreen of my car. Or to be perfectly honest, the boo did it for me. I'm a feminist, but I have to say I love it when the boo does the stuff that involves getting cold hands... And what a heart-warming gesture to realise when you get your car that the windscreen has been scraped! He has his moments.

We need a hot cup or two when the weather turns icy, don't we? I had to wait for a train for quite a long while out in the cold this morning, and would not have managed without my huge vat of hot latte to keep me warm. Today's card was inspired by that steaming mug of comfort as well as the cozy image over at Inspired by All The Little Things and the sketch over at Fusion Card Challenge. I'm also linking up over at Shopping Our Stash where the theme is to use a sketch and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes this week.

Card and paper: 250 gsm brown card, Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Christmas, Perfectly Plaid Chill, Knock on Wood, Neenah Solar white card

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Love You a Latte and matching dies

Ink and colouring: Tim Holtz Distress marker, Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle Nesting dies, Stitched Leaves, Tag You're It, Big Scripty Words, Everyday Banners

Thankful for Cake

Today I spent some of my time in the good old craft room which has had way too little use lately. I'm procrastinating as I should be writing job applications. After many weeks of way too much work, I decided I've had enough, and it's time to start looking for something else. So instead of writing applications, I've been eating chocolates and crafting. As you do. 

So today's card was inspired by the delicious chocolates I ate. It's dangerous living close to a chocolate factory outlet shop. They had some really good offers, and in all good conscience, I couldn't leave without taking advantage of them! I can tell you that Eating sugar makes you inspired to colour cakes, which was perfect given the Just Add Cake theme over at Just Add Ink. I'm also linking up with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes this week. In addition to using the new Sweet Cravings stamp set from STAMPlorations I also used a sentiment stamp from the Words of Gratitude set which you will be able to find in the STAMPlorations shop very soon. 

Card: 300 gsm white card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Sweet Cravings, Words of Gratitude (coming soon!)
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Hickory Smoke, Faber Castell Albrech Durer watecolour pencils
Other: sequins from my stash

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Just Us Girls GD - Photo Week

Time flies when you are having fun, and this is my last week guest designing for the wonderful Just Us Girls. It's been so much fun, thank you so much ladies for having me and all the hard work you do to keep the challenge going! I'll see you soon again in the link-up for future challenges. 

This week is Photo inspiration, and you can see a bigger version of the image below. Just look at those gorgeous colours and fun texture. I was inspired by the beautiful background, and I used Brushos to re-create the spotty look and using similar colours to the inspiration image. I then added a feather and sentiment in white heat embossing using the STAMPlorations Trendy Feathers 2 stamp set.

Card: 300 gsm white card, Daler&Rowney 300 gsm watercolour paper, scraps of black card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Trendy Feathers 2

Ink and background: Tsukineko Versamark, Brushos

Other: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies, Papermania Seafoam White embossing powder

Neutral Wedding Card

I got asked to do a wedding card, with the instructions that it could not be at all cute. Which made me have to think a bit as my go-to wedding stamp set is the super cute Lawn Fawn Happy Wedding. But having to challenge your crafty muscles is always good, and after a few rounds of optimisation, I ended up with this card. To be honest, the plan was to use white heat embossing on the roses, and I had done multiple versions with both white and clear glittery embossing powder. They look really similar when the bottles are sitting on the desk and I simply went for the wrong bottle! But in the end, I really liked the subtle shimmer from the glitter embossing powder so I went with this design after all. I then hand lettered the sentiment using a metallic sharpie as I don't have a Mr&Mrs stamp. I added some gold Wink of Stella to the sentiment for a finishing touch adding some subtle shimmer.

My card was inspired by the neutral colours and intricate piping on the beautiful wedding cake and the metallic shine from the cake stand over at The Card Concept #80 (my card style is CAS). I'm also linking up with CAS on Friday where the theme is Flowers. 

Trying to capture the shimmer of the embossing powder on the roses.

Card: White 300 gsm card, kraft card

Stamps: STAMPlorations In Bloom: Radiant Roses

Ink and lettering: Tsukineko Versamark, Copper Sharpie, Gold Wink of Stella

Other: Papermania Holographic Embossing powder, CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Nesting Dies 

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Just Us Girls GDT - Colour challenge

Saturday means a new Just Us Girls Challenge! I've had super fun Guest Designing for the talented team, and sad that this is already my second to last week with them. And what a super fun colour combo it is. Perfect for Halloween - or anything else that tickles your imagination. I've been enjoying lots of fun with my Lawn Fawn critters lately and this card is no exception. I decided to dig out my Pop-Up Hillside die and create a spooky Halloween Night scene with some poisonous mushrooms and little critters dressed out as witches.

This is what the outside of the card looks like

I created the sky by die cutting the Puffy Cloud Borders in scrap paper. First I inked the background card in light purple and then added more purple using the Puffy Cloud Borders as masks, using darker purple and finally black to create a gradient. Then I splattered the whole background with water for an even spookier effect. I die cut the pop-up hills in black card and added some forest border and stitched tree borders die cuts to them. Then I stamped the critters on white card, coloured them with Copics and die cut using the matching dies. 

I can't wait to see what you create with this week's colours.

Card and paper: Stampin' Up Basic Black card, Neenah Solar white card, Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Rainbow

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Holiday Party Animal, Gleeful Gardens, Critters Ever After, Hats Off To You all with matching dies and Happy Everything

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Wilted Violet, Dusty Concord, Black Soot
Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Pop-Up, Stitched Tree Borders, Forest Border, Puffy Cloud Borders, Stitched Rectangles, Scripty Happy
Other: Papermania Seafoam White embossing powder

October STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Mid-Month Inspiration

Welcome to your mid-month reminder for the STAMPlorations CAS challenge. It's great to see that you have found your way to the challenge after our summer break, it's so lovely and inspiring to see your gorgeous cards in the gallery. 

For my card, I stamped the Bloomtangled ATC #2 stamp and coloured it with Copics. I've been on a colouring spell lately. It's so relaxing! I thought the only thing needed for my card was a die cut sentiment, which I cut in white and red card and layered them on top of the coloured image. I used a slightly textured hammered white card for some additional subtle texture.

Card: 250 gsm white hammered card, Neenah Solar White card, scrap of red card

Stamps: STAMPlorations Bloomtangled ATC #2
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Dies: Bloom and Grow phrase die

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Welcome Baby Roo

Just a quick post today to show you my quick Sunday card - I've been busy most of the weekend enjoying the Peaks from horseback and spending quality time with my Sis. But after getting home and getting the most urgent chores done (cleaning up my snake's vivarium and making a big batch of tomato soup from the produce in our greenhouse) I did find a bit of crafty time which I wanted to spend with some cute critters. 

I was inspired by the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches to make today's baby card. I'm also linking up with AAA Cards where the theme is "Inspired by a film" (Winnie the Pooh).  Last but not least I'm sneaking in just under the deadline for Lawn Fawnatics where the theme is Happy Little Critters.

Card: 300 gsm white card, Neenah Solar white card

Paper: Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes, Let's Polka in the Meadow

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Critters Down Under, Gleeful Gardens and matching dies

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Dies: Lawn Fawn Say Cheese, Everyday Sentiment Banners, Spring Showers, Grassy Border

Just Us Girls GDT - Peek-A-Boo card

It's Saturday and that means a new challenge over at Just Us Girls. I had a great time enjoying all the inspiration in the gallery last week. I hope you will enjoy this week's challenge, it's a fun technique challenge to create either a window or peek-a-boo card. There are some technique videos you can watch for inspiration   

HTTPS://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvVvmWZkAhw

HTTPS://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WihxGaBkt38

When I thought of a window card, I immediately thought of happy puppies waiting at home by the window for you to come home. That must be the most heartwarming sight to come home to! I first tried to make the curtains from ribbon but that didn't work at all, so I used the Lawn Fawn Gingham Backdrops stamp instead and it turned out much better. I added some flowers from Gleeful Garden, and a few colourful butterflies. 

Card: 250 gsm white card, Neenah Solar White card, kraft card
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Critters at the Dog Park and matching dies, Gleeful Garden and matching dies, Claire's ABC, Gingham Backdrops, Stampin' Up Hardwood
Ink and colouring: Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched Square Stackables, Stitched Scalloped Borders 

If the Shoe Fits

Just a quick post today to play along with this week's challenge over at Shopping Our Stash where the theme is "If the Shoe Fits". I just had to play along as I love shoes - although sadly getting old doesn't really seem to go with high heels - and I also love the stamp set A Girl and Her Shoes from the super talented Shery of STAMPlorations. And I really love Distress Inks too, so I inked up a really colourful background and splattered with water through the Oh My Stars! stencil, and then just for fun I splattered some more all over. I stamped the gorgeous shoes and coloured them using Copics to look exactly like my dream shoes. After fussy cutting, I covered them in Glossy Accents for that patent leather shine. Last, I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment from the stamp set.

Card: 300 gsm white card, Neenah Solar White card
Stamps: STAMPlorations A Girl and Her Shoes
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Wilted Violet, Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord, Worn Lipstick, Abandoned Coral, Festive Berries, Aged Mahogany, Copics, Signo White Gel pen
Other: Papermania Seafoam White embossing powder, Glossy Accents, ARTplorations Oh My Stars! stencil

Pop-Up Reindeer

I've been on a bit of a Lawn Fawn streak lately. I just can't resist those cute little critters and lovely dies! I dug out my Stitched Hillside Pop-Up die and made a few cards and I thought I might as well make a Christmas card as well while I'm at it. So I got out a few sets with reindeers and a Christmas card, added some ornaments and presents and there we have it. Although to create the background, I adhered small scraps of yellow card behind every star cut - let me tell you, if you need to some work-out for your patience muscles, this is what you should be doing. But I got them all done in the end.  

I had such a blast creating the background using Distress Inks and water splattering and colouring the little critters. I also used Distress Inks to colour the Christmas tree as I have learned from past experimenting that colouring the large tree with Copics just ends up looking streaky and weird, but sponging Distress Inks and adding some water splatters ends up with a much cooler look (just a hint in case you are having trouble colouring large areas with Copics - just switch to Distress inks!).

I'm linking up with Lawn Fawnatics where the challenge is Happy Little Critters, Make My Monday where the theme is Animal Antics, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Christmas and Crimbo Crackers where the theme is Reindeer.

Card: 300 gsm white card, Neenah Solar white card, scraps of yellow card
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Critters In The Snow, Critters In The Forest, Toboggan Together, Joy to the Woods and matching dies
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Broken China, Blueprint Sketch, Chipped Sapphire, Black Soot, Copics
Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Pop-Up, Stitched Rectangle Nesting dies, Snowy Backdrop, Forest Border die, Scripty Merry die

Just Us Girls GDT - Light

I'm super excited to join Just Us Girls as their October Guest Designer. Thank you so much to the JUGS team for the invitation to join. I love playing along with their challenges, and super excited to have the chance to share some inspiration with you all. Hope you will join us for the fun "Light" theme this week.

I thought I would go for a moon and starlight theme for my magical creatures and Distress Inks for the background. I started by cutting out two circular masks, one bigger and one smaller. I inked through the larger circular mask using Squeezed Lemonade distress ink onto my card front in Neenah Solar White card. Then I switched to the smaller circular mask which I centred within the circle I had inked and continued to ink in Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade. Next, I masked out the whole big circle and inked in Wilted Violet, Dusty Concord and Chipped Sapphire Distress ink, adding more colour around the edges of the card, and keeping the colour lighter the closer to the circle I got. I also inked a piece of card in Hickory Smoke and Black Soot, as well as another in Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn. Then I splattered water onto all the cards I inked, and I used a wet brush to blend the colours of the moon. Next, I die cut the mountains from the inked grey card using Lawn Fawn Stitched Mountain Border, the green one using the Grassy Border die, and I used the Forest border die to cut a piece of black card. I also used the Starry Skies die to cut out the stars and shooting star, adding yellow and pink card behind the card front for the yellow starlight to shine through. Last, I stamped the castle, dragon and unicorn from Critters Ever After, coloured them with Copics and die cut the matching dies. Then I attached all the different layers of the background and the critters in the foreground, lastly adding a sentiment from the Party Animal stamp set. I had forgotten how much fun it is to create backgrounds using Distress Inks and to splatter water onto them, watching the ink fade away under the water droplets!

Card: Neenah Solar White card, scraps of black, yellow and pink card
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Hickory Smoke, Black Soot, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Wilted Violet, Dusty Concord, Chipped Sapphire, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade, Copics
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Critters Ever After and matching dies, Party Animal
Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Circle dies, Starry Skies, Stitched Mountain Border, Forest Border, Grassy Border

October STAMPlorations CAS Challenge - Anything Goes With Orange

Hello and welcome back to the first STAMPlorations CAS challenge after our summer break. It's so good to be back, and can't wait to see all your gorgeous creations in our gallery. I have to admit my crafty mojo clearly needs some routine and structure - during the summer my Mojo was a bit all over the place, but now I'm in gear again. Hope you are inspired to play along with us!

It's all very clean and simple really (see what I did there...) - we invite you to create a Clean and Simple (CAS) card and link it up to the gallery. You can use the optional colour twist if you want to. You are free to use any products you want to, but if you have any STAMPlorations goodies we would love to see how you use them! You can link up to 3 cards in each challenge. Don't forget to add our challenge graphic in your post, along with a link back to the challenge so others can also play along. The prizes are a $10 gift card for the winner and $5 gift cards to the top picks. Last but not least, if there are 50 or more entries: 1 random winner will get to pick a product of their choice (3x5 stamp set OR 2 standard size stencils OR 1 CUTplorations word/phrase die).

For my card, I used the gorgeous In Bloom: Classic Calla Lilies stamp. I stamped it in Versafine black ink, and coloured with Gansai Tambi watercolours using yellows and oranges giving it an autumnal vibe. Then I die cut the sentiment three times from yellow, orange and red card and stacked them on top of each other.

Card: 300 gsm Daler&Rowney watercolour paper, scraps of red, yellow and orange card

Stamps: STAMPlorations In Bloom: Classic Calla Lilies

Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versafine Onyx Black, Gansai Tambi watercolours

Dies: CUTplorations Hello Word die

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

STAMPlorations Typografia Christmas

I'm so excited to join my fellow STAMPlorations DT sisters to showcase more of the awesome Typografia Christmas stamps (the first batch was showcased beautifully here) in the STAMPlorations Typografia Christmas Blog Hop! As you can see, there is a big bunch of gorgeous sentiment stamps, you can find them all in the STAMPlorations Store. To celebrate the blog hop you will automatically get 5% off these stamps but if you use my discount code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout you get an additional 20% off! 

And it wouldn't be a blog hop without some prizes, which you can win by leaving comments on the main Typografia Christmas Blog Hop post and on the designer's blogs. One randomly drawn commenter will win a choice of 3 Typografia Christmas stamps. Commenting closes on Monday, October 9 and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, October 10.

I absolutely adore these gorgeous stamps, and they make it so quick and easy to create gorgeous Christmas cards, or maybe to use them in your notebook, planner or journal! For my first card, I used the gorgeous Merry Little Christmas stamp, which is probably my favourite of them all. I just love that beautiful lettering, particularly the swirly Merry Christmas. The actual card was quite easy and quick to put together. I started by masking a rectangle using washi tape and scrap paper from watercolour card. Then I sprinkled a little bit of blue and purple Brushos onto the watercolour card and spritzed water with a mini mister. After drying the card with a heat tool I used my embossing buddy and then stamped the sentiment in Versamark and heat embossed it with gunmetal embossing powder. And that's it! I may just make these in a bunch of different colours as my main "mass-produced" Christmas card this year.

My next card involved a bit more work. I started by stamping the Christmas present from Joyful onto Neenah White card in Memento Tuxedo Black and colouring with Copics. Then I stamped the Delight in the Joys stamp in Versamark and heat embossed in gold. I die cut the vellum using the smallest Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle die and adhered to the card using vellum glue micro-dots.

For my last card, I used the From Across the Miles stamp and the cute and cosy log snow-covered log cabin from Homespun Christmas. I stamped the log cabin in Antique Linen Distress ink for a pale outline perfect for some no-line watercolouring. I watercoloured the log cabin with Distress Inks and created a dark winter's night sky around the cabin and all the way down the rest of the card. Last I used my embossing buddy all over the dark blue background, stamped the sentiment in Versamark and heat embossed it in white. I used a gel pen to add some snow to the background for a finishing touch.

I'm linking up my first card over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge where the theme this week is Christmas.

Card: 300 gsm Daler&Rowney Aquafine watercolour paper, 250 gsm white card, Neenah Solar white card, Dovecraft 110 gsm premium vellum
Stamps: STAMPlorations Merry Little Christmas, Delight in the Joys, Homespun Christmas, From Across the Miles, Joyful
Dies: CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle
Ink and colouring: Tsukineko Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Brushos, Copics, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Ground Espresso, Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Antique Linen, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire, Pine Needles, Peeled Paint, Signo white gel pen
Other: Embossing powders in gold, gunmetal and Seafoam white

STAMPlorations discount code: If you want to save 20% when shopping at the STAMPlorations store you can use the code STAMPGIRLKAROLA at checkout. The discount applies to all normal priced and discounted stamps, stencils and dies. The code cannot be combined with other discount codes.

Christmas Is Coming...

Well, it's dark outside and days are getting shorter (and sadly it's getting impossible to find enough daylight for card photography...). That can only mean one thing - Christmas is coming! Forget your pumpkin spice lattes and yellow leaves, and start panicking. As usual, despite the promises you made to yourself, you didn't start your Christmas card crafting in the summer. By now, you thought you would be finished with the little buggers. And by you, I mean me (and maybe also you?). 

I have to admit, I'm not much of a Christmas person, apart from the food. The only Christmas decorations we have in our house is a table runner with elves and some fairy lights in the living room. We haven't had a Christmas tree for at least the last three or four years (all those pine needles around the house...) And every year I try (and fail) to inspire my family to a Christmas without presents. There are no kids in the family, so my logic is that all we need is good food and a chance to rest and relax. But as a card crafter, I do feel the responsibility to send out home-made cards. After all, wasn't that how we all (well, me at least...) justified this hobby - "This way I won't ever have to spend money on cards ever again". Well, true, I'm not spending £5 on that pack of Christmas cards. Instead, I spend hundreds of £s all year long. That worked out great, didn't it?

I was inspired by the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and the Reindeer theme over at Crimbo Crakers. I'm also linking up with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything goes. Getting there, one card at a time!

Card: White 250 gsm card, Neenah Solar white, scrap of black card
Patterned paper: Lawn Fawn Let's Bokeh In The Snow, Perfectly Plaid Christmas
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Toboggan Together and matching dies, Christmas Unicorn
Ink and colouring: Tsukneko Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Dies: Lawn Fawn Forest Border Die, Stitched Nesting Circles, Everyday Banners, Stitched Rectangle, Merry Christmas Border