Essendon Poppies...

Hiya,

It's time for another Friday Mashup challenge and this week Lisa is bringing us a sports-themed colour challenge...

Here's your Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a project using "the colors of your favorite sports team"
2. Create a "Clean and Simple project".
3. Or Mash it Up and create a "Clean and Simple project using the colors of your favorite sports team".

Well the only sport I'm really crazy about is tennis and there are no team colours there, so I went back to my childhood when my sisters and I supported the Aussie Rules team Essendon Bombers (my sister Rebecca is still pretty nuts over them!). Their colours were black and red, and I thought that poppies would be the perfect choice for these colours...

The other requirement this week was to keep it simple... well this is pretty simple for me! I stamped the poppies on watercolour paper with black craft ink and embossed with clear EP, then coloured in with an aqua brush and Real Red ink. The sentiment is from Blooming with Kindness, which I layered using a circle punch and dies.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Blooming with Kindness
Ink: Black craft, Real Red
Paper: Watercolour, Black patterns dsp, Basic Black, Whisper White, Naturals White
Accessories: Black taffeta ribbon, Sahara Sand marker, clear EP
Tools: 1 3/4" circle punch, Circles #2 die, Perfect Pennants die

I used the sketch from the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge...

Make sure you check out the fab creations from the rest of the design team!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Pencil Splash Mash...

Hiya,

Sorry my Friday Mashup post is a bit late this week! Had a busy day yesterday and just didn't get around to posting my card. This week we've got a challenge brought to us by Heidi to make you think...

Here's your Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a project using "your choice of a Neutral & a Splash of one Bright Color".
2. Create a project "using a Pencil (regular graphite #2)".
3. Or Mash it Up and create a project "using pencil & your choice of a neutral & a Splash of a Bright Color".

I decided to use an image that had a 'sketched' feel to it, stamped it with Sahara Sand and then traced over the top with a pencil to make it look hand drawn (well that was the idea anyway!)...

I used Summer Starfuit as my colour splash...

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Zoo Review, For the Family
Ink: Sahara Sand, Soft Suede
Paper: First Edition dsp, Naturals Composition dsp, Summer Starfuit, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Accessories: ribbon slides (from Autumn/Winter catty)
Tools: Apothecary framelits, piercing template, Tasteful Trim die

Make sure you check out the rest of the design team's creations!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Pacific Blue Birthday...

Hiya,

I needed to whip up a quick birthday card for one of the guys in our church worship team the other day so I used a few challenges to help me out: Dynamic Duos, CAS(E) this Sketch and the Paper Players...

Believe it or not, I think I actually pulled off a CAS card that I'm happy with...

I used Naturals Ivory for the card base, scoring around the edges at 1/4" from each edge, then stamped the grunge elements from Clockworks on the front with Basic Grey ink, then stamped the water drops from French Foliage over the top and embossed with silver EP. The ribbon badge image was stamped with Pacific Point on Very Vanilla and cut out, with the ribbon flags layered with First Edition dsp. The greeting was stamped with black craft ink and embossed with clear EP, then punched out with a circle punch, layered on a slightly larger Basic Grey circle, then onto the Pacific Point piece. I couldn't resist adding a couple of bits of washi tape at the top (that stuff is growing on me!).

Thanks for stopping by... Hope your week ahead is a great one!

x Amy x

Retro Mono Mash...

Hiya,

This week's Friday Mashup challenge is brought to us by Holly...

 Here's your Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a project using "A Monochromatic Color Scheme".
2. Create a project "using Baker's Twine".
3. Or Mash it Up and create a "Monochromatic project using some Baker's Twine".

I wanted to try something a little different with Baker's Twine so I looked for a shape I could wrap it around to create a frame, and I realised that the Window framelits would work...

I used this week's Retro Sketch for my layout:

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: French Foliage, Papillion Potpourri, Pop up Posies kit
Ink: Indigo Island, Pool Party, Crumb Cake
Paper: Fan Fair dsp, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Naturals White, Whisper White
Accessories: Island Indigo Baker's Twine, pearls
Tools: Bitty Butterfly punch, Postage Stamp punch, square punch, windows framelits

Make sure you check out the rest of the Design Team's creations!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Blue Ribbon Birthday...

Hi there,

Just popping in quickly to share a little card I made last night using the new This & That Epic Day papers for this week's Freshly Made sketch...

I kept it fairly simple for a boy's birthday...

I used some Natural's Composition dsp and smooshed a white craft inkpad over the top to get a faded, aged look, then wiped off the excess with a piece of paper towel. The medallion was made using the Blue Ribbon set and the colours from the Epic Day dsp (Calypso Coral, Gumball Green and Pool Party) I added a sticker from the This & That coordinating sticker sheets, as well as an arrow paper clip. Some linen thread and a piece of Gumball Green ribbon finished things off.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

It's an Epic Day...

Hiya!

I recently got hold of the This & That Epic Day bundle and couldn't wait to play so last night I was on the hunt for some challenges to help me. I wanted to play along with this week's Mojo Monday sketch and then I spotted the Dynamic Duos anniversary challenge so I scrolled through the previous colour combos and found one that is featured in the dsp I wanted to use - hooray!

Ok, well the dsp is actually Gumball Green and Daffodil Delight but I figured it was pretty close! Here's what I came up with...

One thing I love about the Dynamic Duos challenge is that you can use any neutrals you like, so one colour combo can have lots of different looks depending on the neutrals you add - in this case I added Crumb Cake, Basic Grey and white.  This card is my first attempt at using washi tape (can you spot the two pieces??). I've often seen it used in a CAS way, but as you probably know if you know my style that wasn't really gonna happen for me eh?! I thought the little flag element in the sketch would work with washi and I was quite pleased with how it looked over the dsp. I also added a strip along the bottom of the green dsp piece.

The flower was created using the Daydream Medallions set and coordinating flower framelits, as well as one of the leaves from Wonderfall and the autumn accents die. I added an antique brad in the centre (love those things!) and crumpled the petals and leaves to give a bit of dimension. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, stamped in Gumball Green and cut out with an Itty Bitty Banner die. The white card in the background is Naturals White and I stamped a flourish (from Flowering Flourishes) on it with Crumb Cake ink.

As well as using the Epic Day paper, it's my very own epic day today as it's my birthday! I was thinking about the last year and thought I'd share my top three highlights (for those who want to stick around for the personal stuff!)...
1) Lecturing in the Bible School (and being asked in the first place!). This definitely was a real dream come true for me this year and I'm so thankful to God for the opportunity.
2) Going on a last-minute surprise (and paid for!) trip to Australia for Christmas - my first time in 12 years seeing many of my family and friends - definitely a huge blessing!
3) Discovering Professor Horner's Bible Reading System. This might seem like a strange one to some, but finding this plan has really helped me in my reading and studying of the Bible, which is my passion. I've also been able to pass it along to others, which has in turn helped them, and that is also a massive blessing.
Other highlights include being on three different design teams, running my stamping classes, meeting new customers and demonstrators and making new friends in the process.

Thank you to all of you who come and visit my blog and also to those who leave me such lovely comments. I know I don't get the opportunity to thank you all or comment on all your blogs, but I truly am grateful for your sweet words of encouragement!

Thanks for stopping by today...

x Amy x

A Mashed Up set of cards...

Hi there!

It's my turn to host the Friday Mashup challenge this week and I've got a sketch for you with an extra twist...

Here's your Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a project using "the sketch".
2. Create a "set of cards".
3. Or Mash it Up and create a "set of cards using the sketch".

Over at the Friday Mashup blog there is a link to a tutorial I've created to use dsp to create a set of cards using this sketch - it can be really quick to do too (depending on how you embellish and what focal points you use!). Here's what I came up with...

I used the Fan Fair dsp for my background panels as well as the focal points, together with the Up, Up and Away stamp set and a couple of other sentiments (from Perfectly Penned and Blooming with Kindness). Here are some close-ups of each card...

 

The balloons on the last one tell a bit of a story... I had cut all the pieces, stamped and cut out the balloons and had them arranged on my work surface... then went into the kitchen to fetch something, came back and found that one of my darling kitties had knocked a glass of water over - directly onto my cards!! I was rather cross and it was quite late and I didn't want to start again, so I salvaged what I could, used the handy-dandy 'drying' setting on SU's heat gun (lol!!) and only had to restamp one greeting. The balloons on the birthday one show the effect of the water damage but I thought the effect was ok so thought I'd leave it! Oh the joys of pets...

Anyways, make sure you check out the creations of the rest of the design team this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Baja Doily Dress x 2...

Hello!

I've been preparing for a class I'm running this coming weekend using the 'Dress up' framelits dies and when I saw the Dynamic Duos colour challenge I thought it would be perfect for an idea I had. Here are the pretty colours:

And here's what I ended up with...

I created the patchwork background with the postage stamp die. The more I looked at it though, the more I was concerned it wouldn't be a sensible class idea (all that punching for the background!!) so I decided to use the same idea for the dress but to create a simpler background. I saw an idea somewhere else for using a doily stamp in the background so I cased that idea and ended up with this version...

And I like this one better! The sentiment is from Create a Cupcake, which I used in two different banners. I won't go into too much detail on this one as I'll be teaching my class on it this weekend...

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Graduating Owl...

Hiya,

It's time for another Friday Mashup challenge, and this week Lili is bringing us a graduation challenge...

Here's your Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a project for "Graduation".
2. Create a project with "any kind of Embossing".
3. Or Mash it Up and create a project with "Embossing for Graduation".

I decided to make a little graduating owl using SU's owl punch, which I'd seen done elsewhere, and seeing as I hadn't played with the owl punch in a while, I thought it was about time I took it out!

I used the sketch from the Paper Players this week for my layout...

When I was making the owl I was thinking of our Bible College graduation that is coming up in July and our college colour is navy blue so I went with that for the owl's 'gown' (I think I may give this to one of the second year students who I taught this year). The cap was created with black cardstock, my trimmer and a punch and I created a 'tassle' for it by fraying some Black/Grey two-tone ribbon, pulled some of the threads out and attached them through the middle of the cap with a mini silver brad.

The background is some Pool Party core-dinations card embossed with the clouds embossing folder and sanded lightly, then layered with some Print Poetry dsp. The large sentiment is from Word Play, stamped with Midnight Muse and die-cut with a Windows framelit. I stamped the sentiment again in Gumball Green and cut out the arrow, sticking it over the blue sentiment for a bit of variety. Because the sentiment was so high up in the die-cut shape I thought it needed something underneath to balance it out so I stamped an argyle pattern (from Patterned Party) in Gumball Green and added some silver dazzling details along the pattern for a bit of sparkle. The 'happy graduation' sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and I layered it with a piece of Gumball Green ribbon and a Crumb Cake banner.

Make sure you check out the fab creations from the rest of the team over at the Friday Mashup!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Fan Fair projects...

Hello!

I thought I'd pop in and share the other card I made over the weekend, as well as something I made at our recent SU training day. For this card I used the Deconstructed Sketch this week...

I wanted to use the lovely Fan Fair paper for this one, and one of the printed elements from this pack (the globe)...

The fab paper does most of the work on this one - I just added a couple of tickets (from Just the Ticket), some die-cutting (Windows framelit around the globe and the large scalloped border) and a silver button with some linen thread. I added some faux stitching around the edge with my piercing tool and mat with a grey marker.

And here's a little notebook I altered with the same paper...

The only stamping on this one is the grey lace along the side - it's the Viola's Lace wheel stamped on vanilla, cut out and popped under the dsp.

That's all for now... Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x