Spectacular is what you are

I'm so happy tomorrow is Friday. I have lots of plans for the weekend. Among other things I am planning to sleep in late, lay on the sofa like a vegetable, read a book, eat chocolate and maybe some cake, and sleep some more. I'm going to be very busy indeed! 

Today's card involved lots of fun stamping. I was inspired by the Silly theme over at CASology, and thought the glasses from the Crazy Things  stamp set would bring the perfect silliness together with the custom made sentiment using Lawn Fawn Violet's ABCs. The layout is inspired by this week's sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch and the colour combo is inspired by this week's colour swatch over at Color Throwdown.

Card: 300 gsm white linen card, Vanguard VA017 Ivory card
Stamps: Tim Holtz Crazy Things, Lawn Fawn Violet's ABC
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up So Saffron, Pistachio Pudding
Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle dies

Surprise guest DT card

I've been dying to tell you, and today is finally the day. I'm soooo excited to be guest designing for the STAMPlorations sketch challenge as my narwhal card was picked as one of the top picks for sketch #33!!! I love playing along with their amazing sketches so I'm very honoured to be joining the amazingly talented DT for the current challenge. You have lots of time to play along as the deadline for this challenge isn't until the end of July! Hop over to the STAMPlorations blog to see what the rest of the DT have created using this amazing sketch and make sure to join in the fun.

For my card, I was working with the STAMPlorations Tropical Drink digi. I wanted summery colours and went with Stampin' Up Calypso Coral, Pistachio Pudding and So Saffron. I started by watercolouring the background. After the colours had dried, I stamped the Tim Holtz Script and Curiosity stamps, and added some splotches using the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set. I printed the digi and coloured using the same colours. I also printed the digi onto vellum and cut out the glass to give it a more "glassy" look, although it doesn't show very well in the image. I stamped splatters around the glass and sentiment using the Gorgeous Grunge stamp and matted them onto Calypso Coral card. I also added one panel from the Sweet Sorbet DSP. I think it ended up being a wonderfully summery card, and I really want a nice cocktail now...

Card: Stampin' Up Calypso Coral, So Saffron, Daler&Rowney 300 gsm Aquafine watercolour paper, 160 gsm Hobbycraft white card
Stamps: STAMPlorations digi stamp Tropical Drink, Each Day Holds a Surprise, Stampin' Up Gorgeous Grunge, Tim Holtz script and curiosity stamps
Ink: Stampin' Up Calypso Coral, Pistachio Pudding, So Saffron 
Paper: Stampin' Up Sweet Sorbet

Bloomin' Marvellous birthday

I had to get up a bit earlier than usual this morning, and was greeted by the most stunning sunrise. Pink, orange and a bit of blue to admire while I got dressed. And when I got home from the gym in the evening, the sky wasn't completely black yet, you could just about make out a bit of dark blue on the horizon. It's not going to be long now when it's still light when I get home! This is the most amazing time of the year, when you know you have all the spring and summer still ahead. 

This week has been manic, and I haven't had much time for crafty business. Therefore today's post is just a quick little birthday card. The Stampin' Up Bloomin' Marvellous is a really versatile stamp set. It works for such a variety of occasions. Here, I stamped in various greens and yellows and cut out the tag using the Chalk talk framelits. I added some banners from my leftover paper scraps stash at the bottom and stamped one of the sentiments from the Bloomin' Marvellous set. I finished with a cute little bow for that final little touch.

I'm linking up with the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - B is for ... (bloom, blue, banner, bow, bird)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - Things that fly
Artistic Stampers - Spring is Coming
Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes with a Twist of Green
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Spring Colours
Sweet Stampin' - Use green

Inks: Stampin' Up So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pistachio Pudding, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party
Stamps: Stampin' Up Bloomin' Marvellous
Cardstock: Craft UK Kraft card 5x7 in, Hobbycraft three shades of green 160 gsm cardstock, Hobbycraft three shades of blue 160 gsm cardstock
Papers: Stampin' Up Brights DSP Stack, International Bazaar
Other: Chalk talk framelits, blue bakers twine

Retro colours

Today's card is a play around with the colours from this week's Colour Me...! challenge, and this is what I came up with. It was supposed to be something completely different but turned into this instead. Oh well, it's always a journey. I was also inspired by the Just Add Ink "Just Add Thank You" theme. 

I absolutely adore Vintage Photo, it's the most amazing brown colour and I use it all the time. This time I inked it through a Tim Holtz stencil to create a background. I punched the flowers and inked around the edges in matching colours, and added a big rhinestone after shaping the flowers for a bit of a 3D effect. I stamped the butterfly and fussy cut before adding the clear jems. Last I stamped using Gorgeous Grunge for the splatters, stamped the sentiment, and inked around the edges of the front panel which I adhered with foam pads.

Card: Kraft card, Stampin' Up Pool Party, So Saffron and Real Red card

Ink: Stampin' Up Pool Party, So Saffron, Real Red and Tim Holtz Vintage Photo

Stamps: Stampin' Up Yippee-Skippee!, Gorgeous Grunge, Bloomin' Marvelous

Other: Tim Holtz stencil, Stampin' Up Petite Petals punch, Papermania adhesive rhinestones

Yellow and purple birthday flowers

Saturday morning is usually one of my most productive times in the craft room. Today however an early morning loaf of bread upset my routine, and therefore I almost didn't manage this post. Two days in a row when I have struggled with getting a photo of my card as the sun is setting earlier and earlier. You think I would have learned, but no... Today's card is inspired by the current Viva La Verve sketch and a truly stunning colour combo from Colour Q challenges. 

Unfortunatley I don't have any of the new STampin' Up colours, so I had to make some substitutions. I used Rich Razzleberry instead of Blackberry Bliss, Smoky Slate instead of Going Gray, and Daffodil Delight instead of Hello Honey. Unfortunately Daffodil Delight and So Saffron are quite similar, so it's hard to see from the photo that there are two different yellows in the card. 

Card: Leonardo Stationery 350 gsm Smooth White card, silver grey cardstock from my stash, Stampin' Up Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Deligth card, Hobbycraft 160 gms white card

Stamps: Verve Surely Goodness

Inks: Stampin' Up Basic Grey, Stampin' Markers in Rich Razzleberry, Smoky Salte, Daffodil Delight and So Saffron

Other: Stampin' Up Basic Adhesive Gems

Flower card in summery colours

I have been feeling a bit weird lately. Not sure what's going on, I just can't focus on anything. If you are following the food blog you know it's been very quiet over there as well. And it's been very simple cards coming out from the InvisiblePinkCraftRoom lately. I have also needed lots of help and inspiration to get going, and thankfully there are all the wonderful challenge blogs out there to turn to. This card is the love child of this week's Freshly Made Sketch and Colour Me... challenge. I do love the Hero Arts Layered Flower stamp, I know I have used it in a very similar way previously here. But I do love the texture and feel of the watercolour paper and colouring with just one marker and a AquaFlo brush is so easy that even my non-existent patience can deal with it currently so I thought why not create another card with a pretty flower.

I stamped the flower onto watercolour paper using Staz-on and coloured using the Stampin' Write Melon Mambo marker and a Aquaflo brush. I used foam pads to stick the flower together, and added some stickles for that lovely glitter effect. I embossed the So Saffron card stock and matted onto daffodil delight. The twine is from my stash, but it matches the melon mambo very well. I didn't feel like I was able to fit a sentiment onto the card front, so I added one inside the card instead.

Cardstock: Leonardo Stationery 350 and 300 gsm white card, Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and So Saffron card, Daler&Rowney 190 gsm watercolour paper
Stamps: Hero Arts Layered Flowers, Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler
Inks: Tsukineko Staz-on black, Stampin' Up Melon Mambo ink pad and marker pen
Other: Sizzix embossing folder Swirls, pink twine from my stash, Tim Holtz Distress stickles Worn Lipstick  

Butterflies in a box

Just a quick post before I crash into bed. I made this box of butterflies a while ago. I used the same measurements for the box as I have used before here, here and here. Once you have made on card-in-a-box it's actually quite quick and easy to make more of them, although they look like hard work. What is hard work though is all the fussy cutting. For this card I cut quite a few butterflies. But it was all worth it in the end.

Cardstock: Leonardo Stationery 350 gsm Smooth White Card, Hobbycraft white 160 gsm cardstock
Paper: Dovecraft Princess Fairytale Designer Paper Pack
Inks: Stampin' Up Pear Pizzazz, Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Wisteria Wonder
Stamps: Stampin' Up Bloomin Marvellous, Tim Holtz Visual Artistry Heartfelt

Swallowtail CAS

This week's Crafthoarders Anonymous Challenge is "Pick a stamp, Any Stamp". First I toyed with a few ideas, but they all got binned at various stages. So in the end, I decided to pick The Stamp. The Swallowtail. This is such a great stamp, and colouring it is always so much fun! To be honest, sometimes I just stamp it and colour it several times over, just for fun (I know, I need to get a life). And to show off the detailed stamp in all it's glory, I decided to make a CAS card. Nothing but the amazing stamp and a simple sentiment. I really struggle with CAS, I want to keep adding things. When I see other people's cards I think the white space is very nice, but when I attempt it myself I always end up adding more and more stuff thinking it's too simple and too plain. This time I decided to remember the best rule. KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid!

The layout for the card is from this week's CAS(E) this sketch challenge. And yes, there is a third challenge as well (three times lucky) as the The Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge this week is Winged Things. And what could be more perfect for that than the lovely and colourful swallowtail wings.

 

I stamped the Swallowtail using Hobbycraft black pigment ink and heat embossed using clear embossing powder. I coloured the image using Stampin' Up markers. The tag for the sentiment is cut using the Stampin' Up Chalk Talk framelits and the sentiment is a detail from a stamp set called Life's Messages from Penny Black. I covered the stamp apart from the one line I wanted to stamp using cellotape, inked up the stamp, removed the tape and positioned the sentiment using a Stamp-a-ma-jig. To finish off I added two small adhesive gems and then took the photo really quick before I could add something to the card...

Cardstock: Leonardo Stationery 350 gsm Smooth White Card, Hobbycraft 160 gsm white card, Stampin' Up So Saffron card
Stamps: Stampin' Up Swallowtail, Penny Black Life's Messages
Inks: Hobbycraft Black Pigment Ink, Stampin' Up markers in Blushing Bride, Pool Party, So Saffron and Wisteria Wonder
Other: Stampin' Up Chalk Talk dies, Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder, Papermania adhesive gems

Madison Avenue thank you card

I got out of bed ridiculously early this morning as I seem to have managed to catch a bit of a cold. Lying down made my sinuses feel like they were exploding. So I was up long before the sun, and what better to do on a Saturday morning at ridiculous o'clock than to catch up on some card challenges and get inspired!

This time two challenges caught my fancy. The Freshly Made Sketches #127 got my the inspiration neurons firing and I decided to combine it with the Stampin' Royalty #219 colour challenge which this week was So Saffron, Pistachio Pudding and Early Espresso. Another colour combination I wouldn't have picked myself, and completely out of my comfort zone.

To me the colour combo seemed quite retro, and to me the most retro stamp set ever is the Stampin' Up Madison Avenue set. I love it, but hardly ever get around to using it. I also have the matching embossing folder which I think I haven't used at all so far. That's pretty much how this card came together. I used the stamp-a-ma-jic to align the stamps for the flower and to place the little sentiment from the Tiny Tags stamp set.

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Early Espresso, So Saffron, Pistachio Pudding, Craft UK kraft card
Ink: Stampin' Up Early Espresso, Pistachio Pudding
Stamps: Stampin' Up Madison Avenue, Tiny Tags
Paper: Stampin' Up Tea for Two DSP
Other: Embossing folder Vine Street, Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, butterfly brad from my stash