Chloe Stems Mk1

I've been playing with my latest acquisition - Memory Box Chloe Stem die, which I've been coveting for some time, and finally given in.

I've used the colour scheme from this week's Paper Players challenge:

And I'm also entering it into Simon Says:

APRIL SHOWERS AND/OR SPRING FLOWERS

I sponged the die cuts with Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass and Antique Linen distress inks, and stamped the background (Indigo Blu SB1 Script Background) with Antique Linen.  The tag sentiment (Kirsty Wiseman PICSA6297) is stamped in Colorbox Chianti.  The flower heads are popped up with foam dots.

Up, Up and Away

Last week on a rare sunny day, two hot-air balloons flew over our village at the same time. I love watching them fly over - not sure if I'd want to be in one though.

The inspiration for this card comes from these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More - we get quite a lot of balloons flying over in the summer, especially if the weather is good!

CAS(E) This Sketch #23 - the sentiment tags are supposed to represent ballast bags.  Just use your imagination for the diagonal stripe - the implication is there.  A sort of Join The Dots from tags to cloud.

CASology:

And Play Date Cafe colours:

Images are from Hero Arts CL646 Happy Birthday.  Hot-air balloon was also stamped onto patterned paper and pieced.  Both images were masked and the card was sponged with Tumbled Glass distress ink.  Sentiment from Waltzingmouse Stamps Say It Loud, stamped in Memento Paris Dusk.

Spring Flowers

Spring is trying its best to appear in the UK, so I'm encouraging it by making this spring flower card.  The inspiration has come from the following challenges:

ColourQ

Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger

MUSE Challenge #12

So here's the full version of my card, which I'm also entering into Simon Says April Showers And/Or Flowers, and One Layer Wednesday, hosted this week by Heather, where the challenge is to use a tall/thin card. Does it still count if it's lying down, Heather?

I white-embossed the flower stamp (3868J Portraits by Penny Black) three times, then masked all the flowers (took forever!) while I stamped the leaf from Paper Smooches Reflections using Versafine Smoky Grey in the gaps.  Then I removed the masks and coloured the flowers with a very wet chinese water brush loaded with a combination of Victorian Velvet and Worn Lipstick distress inks.  Once that dried I added a bit of Scattered Straw distress ink to the flower centres.  The flower directly above "happy" didn't stamp cleanly, but fortunately it left a nice little niche for the sentiment (Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler) to fit into.

Blogger is throwing a wobbler and won't let me link the image addresses, so I've had to download them to my computer.  Anyone else having the same problems?

For My Friend

A slight departure from the normal style (less stamping - more, er, bits), for the following challenges:

Play Date Cafe Naturals

Cappuccino...Slate...Burlap

Maybe my cappuccino should have had a touch more milk as it looks rather dark in the photo. But I don't drink coffee so, whatever ;)

Addicted to CAS Friend

The Paper Players recycle/repurpose (button in the centre of the flower from old clothing, twine, cappuccino mat cannibalised from another card)

Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder
Punched leaves
Magic Mesh
Waltzingmouse sentiment stamped in Memento London Fog
Flower - Prima? (not sure)
Button and twine - stash

Had a double surprise yesterday - MUSE featured member for this card (thank you, fellow MUSE voters) and Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Top 3 for this card (thank you, Craft Stamper team!).

Birthday Glamour

I'm back with another entry for Less is More.  I can't resist lime with gin black.

LIME & BLACK

It's Aintree weekend, with the Grand National yesterday, although I didn't have a flutter this time.  What did flutter on Ladies' Day on Friday were all the silly fillies in their frilly frocks, high heels and fake tans.  Nothing wrong with frilly frocks, high heels and fake tans (and goodness knows we need a bit of colour on our pasty complexions after this long winter); the silly bit was dressing like that with near-zero temperatures, arctic winds and no coats!  You can tell I'm at the age where I dress for comfort, not for speed :)  Or am I just jealous because I can't wear towering heels now.

Anyway, I thought I'd honour all those brave girls, sacrificing for their art, with this little number.

I'm also adding it to One Layer Wednesday, hosted this week by Ardyth, where the theme is threesomes.  One rather tenuous link - three stamps.  And slightly more bling than is expected on a one layer card, but it just cried out for sequins.

Are you impressed with how on-trend I am with sequins lately?  All by accident rather than design - years and years ago I bought a bead kit from a cheap shop, I was so dazzled by the cheap price colours.  And there just happened to be some lime sequins in the kit.

I'm also entering it into Simon Says Happy Birthday challenge.

Image from Stamp It
Sentiment from Waltzingmouse

Chevrons Galore

The new challenge on the block blog is FUSION, a two-part challenge where you can follow a sketch or an inspiration photo, or both.

I fused Jackie's sketch, and Lesley's photo inspiration (the flowers, but not the colours).

For the colour scheme, I used this week's colour challenge from Less Is More,

 LIME & BLACK

And the challenge at CAS-ual Fridays this week is chevrons and flowers.

The chevron stamp is from Lawn Fawn, sentiment from Waltzingmouse Stamps.  Rolled flower die is from Little Claire.  I added pearls to the centres of the flowers, which you can just about see in this close-up.

Birthday In Pleats

Here's the inspiration photo from Runway Inspired Challenge: (love that backdrop!)

And here's the inspiration for MUSE provided by Laurie Willison:

The background is Squiggly Ink Swirls & Curls 2 from Paper Artsy, stamped in Versafine Onyx Black with a touch of pink and gluey/grey added.  I stamped Little Floral Background (SP&Co) onto a yellow panel with Versafine Smokey Grey to represent the model's jumper.  I dyed a length of white twill tape with Mustard Seed Distress Ink (no, I didn't use my bone folder this time - lesson learned) then pleated it and stuck it to the back of the yellow panel with strong red double-sided tape.  I added a bit of lemon baker's twine for the waistband/bow.  The Happy Birthday/Scroll Frame stamp was a freebie from a magazine.  Finished off with a bit of bling.

Simon Says Stamp Challenge are celebrating their 4th birthday by giving away a $100 gift voucher to a random winner, plus two other fab random prizes of stamp/die sets.  The theme is, of course, Happy Birthday:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !! :-)
We are celebrating our 4th Birthday this week :-)

so any Birthday/ Happy Celebration cards /creations will fit in with the theme :-)

What a fabulous blinkie!