An umbrella and a bird

Two cards for you today.  This first one started life because of The Card Concept theme - use an umbrella.  Am I too grungy to be clean and layered?

I'm also entering it into Keep It Simple Bright Spark (bright colours or sparkly things)

I bought the Tim Holtz die a few months ago and rather than cut a dark silhouette I wanted to use bright colours.  So I cut it in white, then swooshed it through some spritzed Distress Inks.  Conveniently, some new stamps arrived from STAMPlorations which had the perfect sentiment.  The stamps will be available to buy in May (go here for details of the stamps and a blog hop).

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This next card is for Just Us Girls Colour Challenge (any blue and any orange - my orange is spiced marmalade - sploshed on, of course!).

And it's also for Moxie Fab World - Hip On Handwriting (use your own handwriting or something handwriting-inspired).

Happy Chardonnay

Wine is always a good theme for men's birthday cards, and while I was rummaging through my stash of stamped images (I stamp extra images as I'm making a card, store them and usually forget about them) I saw this image.  I was still in sloshing mode so I sloshed on a bit of Crushed Olive and Peeled Paint Distress Ink and trimmed it down.  Also in the forgotten stash was this tweed background panel which I'd already coloured and I thought the two went together really well.

I made the card as a reminder for the Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Bottles challenge which ends soon.  You've still got time, if you're quick - and you don't have to alter a bottle, you could create a card or other project with a stamped bottle image.

I'm entering this into Time Out Masculine Birthday challenge, which is ending soon too.

ETA: Also entering into Simon Says Monday Challenge: Big Stamp.

STAMPlorations Sketch Challenge #10

Time for the latest sketch at STAMPlorations.  Our guest designer is Carol from Just Me: c, and this is the sketch, which runs until 2 May:

I've used stamps from the MOM Subway Art Builders sets which are designed so that you can cut them up to mix and match your favourite sentiments from the sets, which is what I did.  I stamped them in Versamark and white-embossed, then watercoloured some Dusty Concord, Milled Lavender and Worn Lipstick Distress Inks over the panel.

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog for more inspiration from the Design Team and Guest Designer Carol, and to enter your card.

And if you played along with our last sketch, and you've entered the monthly challenge (stamps and your favourite technique), you'll be in with a chance of this prize too:

You Are ...

Got some new toys yesterday so I couldn't wait to play with them.  This image is from the Mini Couture set by Dyan Reaveley.  I wanted to play along with the ColourQ challenge, which is Rich Razzleberry, Black and Gold option, but I don't have a corresponding Distress Ink so I used Memento  Sweet Plum.  Memento inks aren't as good as Distress inks for sloshing around on the card that I use, as they soak in quicker.  But, hey, you just get different results!

The sentiments are from Winnie & Walter The Big The Bold And The You, so I'm also entering it in their Join In To Win challenge.

I'm loving sloshing outside the lines, it's so liberating!  And it's just as much fun as splatting ;)

Masterboard Card

Quick post before tea.  I made a masterboard inspired by Jo Firth Young's masterboard on Paper Artsy's blog.  I used a piece of A5 (European) and stamped some JOFY stamps all over in Versafine Onyx Black, then used Tattered Rose, Bundled Sage and Ripe Persimmon Distress Inks to watercolour splodges on and around the images.  Then I chopped the piece to the size I wanted.

Before the Ripe Persimmon highlights were added

I'm entering this into Paper Artsy's weekly challenge

And Colour Me Subtle

Okey dokey, off out to enjoy dining al fresco while this gorgeous weather lasts!   Hope your weather is as nice as mine :)

Party Time

I just love messing around with Distress Inks!  I wanted some solid-image bunting so I performed some delicate surgery on one of the stamps in the Paper Smooches Tri-balation set.  See that solid three-triangle image top left?  I sliced it up with a craft knife so that I could turn it into a banner, and I also used the striped banner image from the set, coaxing it into a bit of a curve.

Then I splodged some Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick and Salty Ocean onto an acrylic block, stamped my re-arranged triangles into the colours, spritzed and stamped onto the card panel, joining the images with a yellow marker pen.  I love the looseness and movement.  I stamped the striped banner and dragged some of the colour through with a wet paintbrush.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:-

Paper Smooches SPARKS Picture Perfect Challenge

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge

A new one for me, Cure For The Monday Blues, which is already up to Challenge #13!

And Time Out Challenge, where it's a birthday card, with the optional twist of a masculine card.  Well, men's cards don't have to be dull colours, do they?

ETA: Forgot to add it to Make The Day Special Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy Hibiscus

A card without splatter - whatever next?  I'm playing along with Muse, where Vicki has provided this fabulous inspiration card:

And it ties in nicely with the current challenge at Fusion.  Look at that fabulous rose garland!

Here's what I came up with:

I inked the Penny Black Hibiscus stamp up with a mixture of Memento and Distress Inks and stamped the images onto the card, then overstamped with the sentiment (Papertrey Wet Paint).  Tied a ribbon bow around the panel, matted and mounted - done!