Triple stamped Wetlands

Today's new challenge at The Male Room Is a fun technique challenge, Triple  Stamping. This was one of the first techniques which I was shown when I first got into stamping and I still love it: it never fails to please.

I've combined two stamp sets, Gorgeous Grunge and Wetlands and I've kept to a fairly restricted colour palette with Lucky Limeade and Chocolate Chip, with some basic grey colouring on the adult goose.

The technique adds to the effect of the perspective, with the goose stamped on the uppermost card layer and the bird silhouettes stamped across the three layers.

I used a Kraft card base and have stamped the birthday greeting and another goose on the inside (should have photographed that as well I suppose). The stamping is done all in one go, after cutting the panels and placing them on top of each other. I have used narrow borders to separate the layers. 

The fun part is seeing them all line up. The edges which do not stamp clearly are somehow lost to give the finished card a clear image.

These cards work well for men as they are 'different' without being too fussy.

I Think I'm Turning Japanese.....

A little bit of zen going on my blog this morning, well, that was my inspiration for my card for The Male Room, where the new challenge is to create a masculine project inspired by the Orient.

I wanted to create a zen garden on a card

I used Adventure Bound DP to cover the front of the card. I blended various greens and blues to make the water and splodged on some water droplets to create rain drops on water effect. The two fish are from a magazine freebie set, as are the Chinese characters.

I added a touch of gold to the fish and some die cut leaves to overhang the 'pond'

The layers are black and gold and inside I have made a liner and stamped the greeting, with what looks like a Chinese or Japenese translation (it's not really, that would be very impressive!)

I used a sentiment from Wetlands, very appropriate!

Hope you get chance to play along and create something masculine and Oriental....think sushi, karate, samurai, lanterns, anything you like!

Life's a Beach

Just back from a week's holiday in Morroco with my lovely husband, rest and relaxation was the order of the day. We were staying right on the coast at Essouria and so I have watched some gorgeous sunsets, the inspiration for my card today for the new challenge at The Male Room.

I used Wetlands and Work of Art for this one and created a sunset

I love both of these stamp sets so much, Work Of Art is just so versatile and Wetlands is perfect for masculine cards. If you look closely you will see that I've added some guilding flakes to the sun's reflection on the sea.

I haven't added a sentiment yet, I think this card could be used for a variety of occasions so I will add the sentiment inside later.

Looking forward to my next holiday now, which will also feature the beach as we are off, as a family this time, to discover the coastline of Florida. Of course, the kids have also insisted on some time in Orlando to visit some of the theme parks!

For My Dad

Hello! This morning I have a very clean and simple Fathers' Day card, which I have made for my Dad. I used the colours from this week's challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches

If, like me, you don't have these colours just use something close - I used a Matt silver, More Mustard and a generic green to stamp on my card. I also used two of my 'go to' stamp sets, Wetlands and Work Of Art. Do you have favourite stamp sets too? Ones which you love to use over and over again? I've teamed them up with the Hello You thinlets die and Best Ever Dad, to make the sentiment.

I used the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch

I used the silver and the green stamped and then stamped off to create the four panels. Then I stamped the goose in More Mustard, carefully positioning the image with my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig so that the plumage of the bird would match up.

Finally I added the Happy, cut out of green card stock and stamped part of a sentiment in the silver. 

Wetlands Sketch

Over the last year or so I've been on the DT for a fab challenge, The Male Room. I have found that I really like creating cards for guys and now I always have a few on hand, whereas before I would have been scrabbling around trying to make something which 'would do' for a man. I have built up a collection of stamps which are perfect for male cards and none is more so that the one I've used today (luckily it also works for all sorts of other occasions too)

The challenge this time is actually to use this sketch...

And you can see my stamp set is Wetlands.

I kept to a monochrome colour scheme with Lost Lagoon ink. I even managed to find the matching cardstock for the mat. 

The small panels are popped up on foam pads as you can see on these photos. The hardest part for me was keeping the white card pristine, I'm such a messy worker! 

I used the sentiment from the same set and added some score lines for interest. This is, as you will know, my favourite style and this week I can enter the challenge at Seize The Birthday where they have a masculine birthday challenge going. 

Autumn Oldies

I am having a thing at the moment about using old stamp sets and this morning I have dusted off a real favourite of mine that got shoved to the back of the drawer, French Foliage. It's perfect for Autumnal cards and this morning I have used it for a colour challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches

I love these colours together. They are quite 'floral' but today I've made them into leaves, although the deep Mossy Meadow green only gets a token showing in my card as a layer and for stamping the sentiment.

 

I made the panel, stamping the leaves and layered up on the three colours of card stock. Then I stuck this on the inside of my card and cut the front panel to expose the mat.

I stamped and fussy cut out one leaf which I added on foam pads to the slim front of the card and stamped the sentiment from Wetlands (another all time favourite stamp set ) just above.

Just to prove my point about 'floral' this is the card I first made for the challenge, using Work Of Art and Best of Flowers stamp sets

Sherbet Birds

OK so it's another colour challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches and we have three subtle colours for you to try out

Don't they look great together? They remind me of sherbet sweets, yumm.
Last week I posted a card using a stamping through an aperture technique which I really like and I've revisited that technique for today's card.

I think it has worked even better this time. I put the three colours onto an acrylic block, spritzed with water and printed the background. Then I stamped the birds from Wetlands once the background was dry. This time I stamped the image again on plian cardstock and die cut a circle aperture. Then it was a case of matching up the two images.
I wanted to keep this very CAS so I only added a sentiment, stamped in the Coastal Cabana using a sentiment from the same stamp set as the birds. Finally, I added a Wisteria Wonder mat. I am going to enter this card in the Anything Goes challenge out today at Seize The Birthday.

I do hope you like it and are inspired to try out these colours. They dont have to be exact Stampin Up shades, just the closest you have to them. Do have a look at the other cards on the challenge blog too, have a happy crafting time!

Wetland in Blue

This week we have a colour challenge for you at CAS Colours and Sketches.

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With these three colours I decided to challenge myself and use a stamp set I wouldn't normally choose to use with them. It turned out quite a masculine card, but that seems to be happening a lot lately! The Primrose Petals always comes out a little darker for me too, on the schematic it looks quite pink, dusky pink maybe, but I find it comes out differently when I stamp with it- not complaining, just saying.

I used the grey ink to make an acrylic block print and stamped the birds on top. I used Midnight Muse card stock and the sentiment is from Wetlands too with an extra bird - easy to do when stamping with markers.

Triple stamped Wetlands

It's a new year, it's a new month so that means that Technique Time Tuesday Challenge Blog must have a brand new challenge. We've also had a face lift and you will I am sure love our new look. The challenge includes a full video clip to help you with the technique, if you've never tried it before - it's one of my all-time favourites-Triple stamping.I've had a sneaky peak at the other cards from the DT and there are so many different ways you can use this versatile technique. I've gone for a scene card, using the amazing Wetlands stamp set from Stampin' Up.

One of the advantages of triple stamping is it creates a dimensional focal point - in this case my pair of geese, which doesn't need to be central. It's a very 'birdy' card as I've also sneaked in the little bird on the reeds from another stamp set, Simply Sketched, which is where the sentiment also comes from. I hope you can see the sparkle on the refelections, made with silver Stickles and the lovely pearl brad which is attaching the tag.
Well and truly back in the mood for making cards again, although I have one or two other crafty projects on the go too.

Dreamy Colour challenge

The colour challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches, which I admit is about to close-in one day's time, is a lovely dreamy, romantic combination.

I must apologise to my fellow DT members over at CC&S because, although my card was posted on the challenge I have not got around to posting it on here until now, mostly because I've not been feeling too well. Better late than never

It's not that special, just sponged ink through a mask, the image is from Wetlands, and some layered cardstock on a Naturals White card base, but is is a card that I will be sending as I think it's simplicity is sometimes what you need (thinking of male work colleague here!)
I will try to be more timely this week!

Faux Frame Winter Card

Today there is a brand new technique challenge over at Technique Time Tuesday and it's a real good one! Faux frame is a sponging technique which uses nesting die shapes to create the illusion of a frame.  There's a full 'how to' tutorial on the blog and I think it would be a great technique for Christmas cards, if you still have lots of those to make.
For my DT sample I have made a wintery theme card, using a colour palette of Soft Suede, Sky Blue and Very Vanilla.

The stamp set is Simply Sketched. I stamped the foliage and added liquid pearls to the berries. I have used the blue ribbon as borders as well as adding the bow and the bird image from the stamp set was supplemented by some grasses from the Wetlands stamps. The sentiment is from Blooming Marvellous. If I glittered this up I guess I could use it for a Christmas card (as it is a happy day!) but I think I'm going to use it for a winter birthday card.
Here is a close up of the 'frame'

I see there is a frame challenge for November at Heck Of A Challenge - In The Frame, so I will enter my card over there,
Do have a look at the other creations from the DT at TTT, and check out the tutorial. I look forward to seeing everyone's beautiful faux frame projects.

Kickin' Giraffe

Hello! Today I have a birthday card which I have made for the all masculine card challenge at The Male Room.  The theme for the challenge is Animal, Avian or Aquarian (or animal, bird or fish) and one of those should be your featured element on your project.
I've used my Zoo Review stamps again and given it a twist by using a kick-stand design. Take a look

I went to a workshop last week where kick-stand cards were demo'ed and I thought I'd give it another go, thinking that the tall image of the giraffe would suit the design.  I stamped and masked the giraffe image before adding the background with my brushes,  The grasses are a combination of a couple of stamps. Then I stamped another giraffe, coloured him and fussy cut him out, popping him up on dimensionals. The animal print border is some homemade washi tape. I stamped the greeting from Wet Lands on the inside and finally added a recycled wooden button from my local quilting craft shop. Hate to see a 'naked' button, so I've added some string. You can see what I mean by kick-stand better in this photo

Do visit The Male Room if you've not been there already, and don't forget you've got two weeks to add your creature feature!

Wetlands Reflections

It's time for the second challenge from the all new The Male Room challenge blog, and, judging from the number of entries we had for the first challenge, I'm guessing that you all were looking to create fabulous cards for the men and boys in our lives. I know I was.
This week we have a theme of 'Reflections'.  Now, I know there are lots of brilliant images out there which look great when given the reflection technique treatment, whether you use an acetate sheet or brayer, but I went for a brand new stamp set with a reflection already built in.

 

The card stock is Naturals White and the stamp is called Wetlands. I made the background by inking up an acrylic block with Sky Blue and Soft Brown Sugar inks, moistening it slightly and printing directly onto white card. Then I overstamped the images in Chocolate Chip and sponged the edges, before using dimensionals to stick it onto the front of my card base.  The goose was added last. I love the watery effect of the inked block (thanks to Jacqueline for sharing this technique)