Sunflowers In Spring? Why Not?!

Hello Friends! I hope this post will find you well! :). A very warm welcome to my newest readers and the regular followers, too! So happy to see you here!

Can you feel it? Can you smell it? Yes, Spring is finally in the air! Beautiful sunny banks of daffodils, cheerful bunches of tulips, magnolia blooms... aaah, I love this time of year! 

In keeping with the season our Stampendous HQ powers are focusing on all things Spring this week and I wanted to join in, too! Here's a birthday card I made for my Mum and while sunflowers are not normally associated with Spring, I thought these lovely sunny blooms would be a great addition to my delicate springtime lilacs hiding in the background.

I stamped the Lilac and Sunny Vase flowers on the Mixed Media Paper and coloured the images with Inktense pencils. I then die cut the images with the corresponding Sunny Vase and Lilac die sets. I varied the height of the blooms with my trusty 3D Foam Squares from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.

For my background and vase I used some papers from 7Dots Studio which I stamped with Scrollwork Leaves and which I embossed with the Dreamweaver Metallic Gold Embossing Paste over the Corner Flourishes stencil. The little tag is from the Sunny Vase stamps set.

For the bottom of my vase I sprinkled some flower dust - aka Frantage and (my newly re-discovered loOOOove for) the encrusted jewel technique. I used Bronze Glass Glitter, Spoonful of Rust, Copper Lux Mix and Shabby White Embossing Enamel. 

I finished the card with a little butterfly - because I absolutely looove butterflies and always look for an excuse to add one in lol :).

Also sharing today are:

Stampendous Blog
Pam Bray
Louise Healy

I hope you've enjoyed today's post and thank you for all your lovely comments that you may wish to leave (please do!) :). Have a fabulous day!

Big crafty hugs




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Spring Time Die Cut Art - and Guest Designing at Frilly And Funkie!

Re-edited: Yay! My card has been voted one of the top picks at Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #115! Woot woot!!! :)

Hello everyone! Guess what?! I have been invited to play along today as a Guest DT over at Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog, after my altered ahabby chic dress form was voted the winner of the Bring on the Bling challenge! How exciting is that?!

I was even more excited when I found out the theme of their current challenge - Spring Time Die Cuts. I love spring and I have recently rediscovered my love of die cutting (getting a new die cutting machine might have something to do with it lol).

So... my crafty offering today is a card with a soft colour palette, inspired by the glorious blooms of my neighbours' magnolia tree. Dusky pinks, golden yellows and soft browns seem to have taken the centre stage. This is my early spring take on the challenge theme, before the fresh greens take over :). 

Spring Time Art Card

In my card I used Spellbinders Grateful Lattice die and Sizzix Tim Holtz Picture Wheel die. My Grateful Lattice die cut was first used as a stencil for a thin layer of DecoArt Texture Crackle. I also threw in a few individual lattice elements that I had left over from my vintage rose trellis card. The lattice elements are covered with beautiful and sparkly Stampendous Gilded Mica Fragments. 

Using Grateful Lattice die to add texture to my background.

The papers are from Prima Marketing (Striking Appearance, Epiphany Collection, which I used in my shabby birds' nest ATB) and 7Dots Studio (Dreamer collection). All quickly put together with MyStik® Permanent Strips. I also added some stamping using Stampendous Charmed Art and Vintage Lowercase Perfectly Clear stamps.

The picture wheel was also brushed with the Texture Crackle, then rubbed with the mica powders. I backed it up with some florist's cellophane that had a lovely white print on it - my Adhesive Sheets were perfect for this job. After popping the wheel over some The transparency gave my alpha beads (thrift shop find) an interesting floating appearance.

Using transparencies to add depth and give the alphas a floating appearance.

I have lots of mica sparkliness going on in the background, too. For that I used the new mica powders (Pink, Brown and Gold) from Donna Salazar for Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L® (available soon!). To finish the card I added some Liquid Pearls, ribbon and ribbon roses died with DIY mica sprays I made using the the mica powders.

Thank you so much to Linda and the Frilly & Funkie Team for inviting me to play along with this challenge! I feel truly honoured!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you will join us for this Spring Time Die Cuts Challenge!

Big crafty hugs

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Challenges for this card:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - A is for...Art
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Spring Flowers
A Vintage Journey - Through The Looking Glass
Mixed Media Place #6 - Typography
Our Creative Corner - Colour Your World
Really Reasonable Ribbon #115 - Things With Wings
Live and Love Crafts #34 - Signs of Spring
7 Dots Studio - Nature

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Be More [Steampunk] Dog - Scrapbook Layout

Hello Friends! I hope you are all keeping well and are enjoying the first signs of spring. 

We've had our first ever crocus in our garden. Just one. And just for a few hours until something has eaten it... We saw it first thing in the morning and by the time we got back from work - it was gone. No trace of it... we were so sad...!

Anyway... today I am back to share... a scrapbook page! I know! It doesn't happen very often on my blog :). 

But when I saw this cute little guy during our short break in Bruges last summer I just knew I had to scrap him :). I took about a hundred photos of him lol. I really loved this sweet innocent face in contrast with the Steampunk feel of the horse carriage... Isn't he just gorgeous? And I knew these new cool stamps with ScrewLoose and Sparky mates would be perfect for my layout.

Supplies:

From Stampendous:
SSC1219 ScrewLoose N Sparky Perfectly Clear™ Stamps
M323 Screwy Pals
H316 Sparky
ASCRS02 Cling Steampunk Set
NKCRS05 Cling Kaffee Klatsch Set
SSC1205 Journal Lines Perfectly Clear™ Stamps
FRM02 Gilded Mica Fragments
FRM03 Tarnished Mica Fragments
MEM01 Memento™ Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko®
SSH38 Small Perfectly Clear™ Acrylic Handle

Plus:
Adhesives by Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®: DODZ™ - 3D, DODZ™ - Small, 3D Foam Squares - Black Mix, Adhesive Sheets 4x6", Creative Photo Corners - White, E-Z Runner® Permanent Strips, 3D Foam Pennants 

Media: Clearsnap®: Smooch® Green Apple and Mocha, ColorBox® Mudslide, Ranger Ink: Color Wask Lettuce, Distress Inks Tea Dye, Crushed Olive 

Cardstock by Bazzill Basics®
Papers: 7Dots Studio - Dreamer, Authentique - Adventure Explore, corrugated cardboard scraps
Embellishments, ScrapFX chipboards, wooden and paper flowers, brads, suede ribbon/string (May Arts), Martha Stewart Doily border punch, four small photos (2x2") printed on printable canvas, black glitter alphabet stickers (K&Co)

Instructions: 
1. Trim 1/4" around a 12x12" background paper (7Dots Studio), punch around randomly, add some tears and distress the edges.
2. Add strips of pattern papers to the page. Add some spray ink and ink splatters.
3. Add stamping around the page as shown with ScrewLoose N Sparky Clear Stamps, Screwy Pals, Sparky, Cling Steampunk Set, Cling Kaffee Klatsch Set, Journal Lines Clear Stamps with black, brown and green ink. 

4. Paint Steampunk shapes with Smooch inks and adhere to the page with Adhesive Sheets. Cover any excess of the adhesive with Mica Fragments. 
5. Trim the photos leaving a small white edge, mount on corrugated cardboard mats, embellish with more stamping and brads.
6. Adhere to the page with 3D Foam Squares with DODZ™ as shown. Embellish with clusters of flowers, inked and sprayed with coordinated inks. Add coiled suede string.
7. Add the title with glitter stickers.
8. Mat the page with with Authentique - Adventure Explore paper and adhere with E-Z Runner® Permanent Strips.
9. Add final embellishments with 3D Foam Pennants covered with patterned papers and inked Creative Photo Corners.

Thank you for your visit and I hope you've enjoyed my today's offering. Be sure to pop over to the Stampendous blog to check out other great projects with Sparky and ScrewLoose friends!

Have a sunny and creative week!

Big crafty hugs


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Challenges for this project:
Just Us Girls #283 - Masculine
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - B is for.. Be More (Steampunk) Dog
Our Creative Corner - Junk In Your Trunk (corrugated cardboard scraps)

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Shabby Shutters for Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L

Re-edited: Woot woot! My card has been chosen a Saturday Spotlight at Fashionable Stamping Challenges! Yay!!!

Witajcie drodzy Blogowiczanie! Dzisiaj chciałabym się podzielić DT kartką, którą przygotowałam dla Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L. Spis materiałów zamieściłam poniżej a dokładne detale opisałam na blogu firmowym TUTAJ. Opis jest po angielsku ale dla zainteresowanych chętnie również dopiszę wersję po polsku :). 

Dziękuję za wizytę i za pozostawione komentarze :).

Hello Friends!

I am soooo delighted to see new Followers joining my blog - thank you so much and make yourself at home! :0)

Today I have a DT card to share which I prepared for Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L. I won't go into too much detail here, as you can read all about my card HERE (and I would be really happy if you did! lol).

If you subscribe to the UK's Craft Stamper magazine you might recognise this stamp from the July issue. 

When I  saw this little Mackintosh-inspired rose stamp I immediately thought of stained glass windows. And I just had to have a go at creating a stained glass effect using acetate, stamps and inks :).

I know you might first associate stained glass with Gothic cathedrals. But as I'm not too much of a 'Gothic kinda gal', I decided to put a shabby - chic - cottagey spin on it. Funnily enough, one of the inks I used is called Gothic Purple lol :). So here is my Shabby Shutters card.

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L's Supplies:

E-Z Dots® Mini Permanent, MyStik® Permanent Strips, White 3D Foam Squares Regular and White 3D Foam Squares - Small, Black 3D Foam Squares - Regular, White Crafty Foam Tape, DODZ™ - 3D, DODZ™ - Small, 3d Foam Leaves, 3D Foam Cupcakes, 3D Foam Garden Shapes.

Other Supplies:

Stamp - Craft Stamper Magazine, July 2014 free stamp; Papers: 7Dots Studio Dreamer Collection and Bazzill Basics Paper; Wendy Vecchi - Blossom Bucket - Shutters

Stencils - brick stencil, Tim Holtz Shutter; 

Cutting Dies: Marianne Design CR1213 and LR0205,

Inks: Imagine Crafts StazOn Claret, Gothic Purple, Cactus Green, Cherry Pink, Mustard, Jet Black, Memento Tuxedo Black; Colouring: STAEDTLER ergosoft® aquarell pencils, Spectrum Noir markers, DecoArt Americana paints.

Glitters: Stampendous Pink Micro Glitter, Sea Green Ultra Fine Jewel Glitter.

Today is my first day back at work after the op... so please keep your fingers crossed for me that all goes well! :)

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a fabulous week!
Big crafty hugs




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Challenges for this card:
Fashionable Stamping Challenges #77 - Dreaming of Summer
Country View Challenges July - Stencil It
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Let's Be Clear
7Dots Studio June/July - Stamps
Suzz's Stamping Spot - STAEDTLER Giveaway
The Shabby Tea Room #227 - Fun In The Sun
Frilly and Funkie - Summer Heat

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