24 January 2024

'puter troubles and a 5 year old card

 Hi Everyone. I've been missing in action, as I have had my 'puter not behaving itself. I haven't been able to see my files, they were all greyed out, unless I clicked on them. I couldn't do any searches, it made me feel I didn't want to be on it, I think it's the longest I have been off my 'puter for years. I did come on to see if I could repair it, I went online to see if there was anything I could do, but each time I saw something promising my 'puter looked the same as the example graphic.

Then on Monday, I came on to try again and went looking for more ideas, I came across something to tell me to go into the Control Panel, BUT! My Control panel was missing, so after a bit of playing around I found it and what I was looking for. I noticed one of the panels wasn't the same as the example graphic, so changed it, and lo and behold I was back and everything was doing what it was supposed to. What a relief. I don't change things here, so I don't know how it happened, unless a Windows update changed things, I'll never know!

 Anyhow, you aren't here to listen to my grumbles, but I had to explain my absence from your blogs. Luckily, my DT cards had been scheduled. 

Now onto my card, one of my Niece's granddaughter, has her 5th birthday coming up and this is what I did for her. I saw a card recently where an image was popped up from the card. I went into my Silhouette program and designed this shaped card around the digital image. I added a slight border to the card, so the image was framed. The sentiment was sized, and a shape designed to match the black border on the image. Both the image and sentiment were print and cut with 2 layers of each.

Next, I coloured the image face with DI's, but as I wanted brighter colours for the rest, I changed to markers. I then used a sparkle pen for the number and the sentiment letters. I decided to add a few crystal drops. All attached to the card and now ready to send with an insert, I forgot to take a piccie of. The finished card is 7 x 7inches.

image - Bugaboo
inks - Distress Ink, tattered rose, tea dye, aged mahogany
markers - Spectrum Noir
crystal drops - Nuvo Crystal Drops
font - Chocokings

 
showing the sparkle on the 5

18 January 2024

Something New WLSC

Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for We Love Stamping. This month we would love to see Something New.
 
My something new is a stamp I saw with Sarn and loved it, at a bargain price I had to have it. I stamped and coloured it, and added a light blue "shadow" with DI's. Next I die cut it, it stood on my desk for a couple of weeks, as I just couldn't think of what to do with it. I didn't have any female birthdays to get my mojo going. Then a card of mine here, got me into thinking, maybe it would work for the stamp.

I added a light gold splattering to the image, then cut a larger size die, which I coloured around the edge, next I added a gold edging to highlight the pin dot edge. I found some ribbon that blended with the bottom blossom, which I added to the attached larger die and the base card. The image was added with 3D pads. Everything looks a bit off in the photo, I think editing the card caused the "wonk".
stamp - AAll & Create #841 "Le Parfum" stamp
inks - Distress Inks, tumbled glass, scattered straw, picked rasberry
gold ink  - Kuretake
dies - Tonic pin dot
ribbon - stash
 
Remember to enter for a chance to win the 
set of 3 fabulous stamps from  Stampendous

Don't forget, we will now require At least one stamped element on entries. Those of you like us, who love to stamp, we would still love you to enter your fully stamped entry.

12 January 2024

Steam Trains and a warning

 Hi Everyone, the cards today are for my brothers who were steam train Firemen and who still love their steam trains, and hubby's Great nephew, who is a Steam Train enthusiast. The actual stamp is from Pat, who kindly sent me the stamp in different colours and embossing, after I complimented her on her fabulous use of the stamp. Thank you so much Pat.

#3 brother had his 84th birthday on the 5th of this month, #1 brother, 88 in February and Nephew 21 in March, but I decided to do them all together and put them aside for later. However, it wasn't a good time for me to do them, with no mojo. I did the lined card twice and the brown card just once. I may strip the 2 apart and make different ones, but I am completely stripped of any design element in my head. Not only that, but I hope that I start getting some mojo soon, as the start of the year is busy with birthdays for me. I am happy to say that #3 brother liked his card.  

Anyhow, the stamp is fabulous and having a different embossing on each was wonderful. I started with trying to match the  GWR (Great Western Railway) colours, these were the nearest I could get in printing them. I looked online for some tickets and was able to find some that had Paddington on them, (South Wales trains, start there.) I copied and printed them and cut them out with Silhouette. I also saw the sentiment online, but changed it  to suit these cards. The Great was changed to GWReat to incorporate the Company. They were printed and cut with a die and the double layer tickets were added to the cards. The brown card has gold peel off stickers added. I'm not sure if I did the stamp's justice, but the first one was much appreciated. Even the photographs aren't good, the cards look misshapen. OH! dear. I wanted to do Pat's generosity justice, not sure that I have.

striped and plain paper - Creative Bloom Vintage patterned paper
brown embossed paper - Just So Scrappy 
 
Now the 
Warning
If you live in the UK, pease be aware,
 if you are buying Post Office stamps online. They could be counterfeit.
 
This is the envelope of a Christmas card received after Christmas, I was astounded to be charged £5 to receive it. I was in two minds to refuse it, but thought I would contact the sender and let them know that their stamps were counterfeit.  
The postman told me the QR Code should have texture and the counterfeit one doesn't. 
I've blurred out my address.


07 January 2024

Something New WLSC

Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for We Love Stamping. This month we would love to see Something New.
 

I saw this stamp, just before Christmas, and had to have it. It was on offer after all, how could I say no? 

I used a circle die cut to blend the centre, then blended the background with DO's, not as I thought it would turn out, but I liked it, so continued. I stamped the main image in white, then embossed in white, I did it twice, so it stood out more. Then moved the stamp a little and stamped with black. The fireworks were stamped in gold and coloured gel pens added more strokes, but they didn't show as much as I wanted.  Next, I layered the images onto black paper and attached to the A5 base card. I then decided to remove some ink in the fireworks with an alcohol cloth.

A larger card than normal for me and lots of blending and embossing, not all good, but I like the overall card. Because of the curve in the card, I need to flatten, it looks like there are no white edges, it's tiny, but it is there.

stamps - Imala
ink- Brilliance Moonlight White & Stazon
gold embossing powder - Altenew Vintage Gold
white embossing powder - Papermania Seafoam White
black fine liner pen - UniPin fine line
inks Distress Oxide - prize ribbon, faded jeans, squeezed Lemonade.
 

Our wonderful prizes for this month are
3 prizes of stamp sets from Stampendous

Don't forget, we will now require At least one stamped element on entries. Those of you like us, who love to stamp, we would still love you to enter your fully stamped entry.

 

03 January 2024

Grandfather joke TMR

 Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for 

Wondering what to do I picked up a book on my desk and a joke appeared, yes! It really did, it fell out of the book. Well, I had to use it, didn't I? It's from a newspaper and is years old.
- Although, I just realised, as I was adding the photo, I used Grandfather instead of Grandpa, oops!
Anyhow, it's my card you're here for. I couldn't find a clock, that I hadn't used, but did find two, which was what I wanted. I took both into Silhouette, and cut and print 3 layers of each. Then coloured both the clock with DI's and the ornaments on the Grandfather clock and pendulums in gold. Adding gold to the edge and "handle" of the digital clock. I found some digital paper in my files, which I thought suited, and in Photoshop, I added the joke text to the paper and printed it. The clocks were layered and attached to the card. 
clock doodle - Janet Kemp at Digital Scrapbook.com
clock face - Fayette Designs
clock paper -  Gina Cabrera
inks - Distress Ink, walnut stain, vintage photo
gold ink - Kuretake
Silhouette

this shows the gold on both clocks


01 January 2024

Owl CCC

   Hi Everyone, my DT cards today is for -

Critter Crazy

Whether Furry, Feathered, Fantasy, Fairytale, 
Scaly, or Insect, there must be a critter...

Going through my animal stamps and dies, I saw this owl and decided to use him again, I used him here

I used an embossing a wood folder for the background, I then cut the oval. The background was inked to show the design. I then die cut and embossed an owl out of brown card, which has gold sparkles going through it, shame the photo didn't pick it up. I highlighted the face and front feathers with white, then inked over the owl to dim the bright white pen.  

I placed a piece of card behind the eyes and added a black gem to each eye. He was placed behind the oval and attached with his feet to the front layer. I then attached the embossed front layer to the background card, I pulled the ears out and added a 3D pad behind his head after attaching the body to the same card, next I raised the feathers on the chest.

I stamped the sentiment, with the same ink that had been rubbed over the wood embossing and fussy cut it. Two feathers were also stamped and added to the sentiment. I didn't intend for this to be monochrome, but it worked out OK, I think.

owl - Lou Collins Owl die, Magazine freebie
sentiment & feathers - Card Making Magic, magazine freebie
wood embossing folder - Crafters Companion
ink - Distress Ink Vintage Photo
white pen - Signo
oval die - Tonic


Happy New Year

Wishing you ALL a

 

Thank you all for your continuing and encouraging support, it makes a lot of difference knowing you are there. 
I intend to make more regular visits in this New Year, that's my resolution, I hope I don't break it!