Purple Butterfly Card

Yikes. I made this card so many months ago that I barely remember anything about it! Saying that, blog posts for my cards are never the most exciting, but I do like to use this little blog to have all the cards I make in one place. The butterfly stamp and flower embossing folder came from someone who was destashing - I believe they were originally free with a magazine! They're very pretty :)

What I do remember, is who this card was for. A wonderful girl who fought chronic illnesses until her last minute on earth. <3 br="">

Forever Friends Baby Card

One of my relatives recently gave birth to a baby boy, giving me the perfect excuse to use this (new to me) Forever Friends stamp! It is quite dinky but so cute. I added colour using Whisper Strokes pens, with a touch of blue to emphasise the white of the nappy. I love how these pens allow you to shade. I layered the stamped image up with some patterned paper, brown parcel paper, and a sticker from my stash. I like the rustic texture the brown parcel paper lends to such a clean cut design.

Festive February: Cute Wintery Cards

I needed to make a couple of extra cards for friends in December, and they ended up embracing the season! The first was for a lover of penguins. I love creating the shapes of penguins, they're so pleasing! I used some black glitter card, and left the bottom of the card uncovered to be snow - I love this effect. The "Birthday Wishes" stamp took the Christmassy edge off, just!

For the other card, I delved into my stash of old stamping extras - leftovers from years of previous projects - and found this lovely cuddly polar bear. I mounted him in the same way with the snow in relief. Wish upon a Christmas star...

"She is too Fond of Books..."

"She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain" is a quote from the author Louisa M. Alcott. I saw it and couldn't help but think of one of my friends (as a compliment, of course!) I looked around online but couldn't find any versions of the quote as a postcard or print that I really liked, so I decided to make my own! This is just a piece of A6 watercolour card, and I stamped the quote using a range of different alphabet stamps I have. I wanted a little imagery too, and found this cute little bookworm at the bottom of my box of stamps... I don't think I've ever found a use for him before, so it was quite nice how well he fitted here! I coloured him in using a Whispers Strokes pen in pale green, as it allowed me to add some shading. I've just treated myself to a set of these (not that easy since they've been discontinued!) and I am really enjoying having them on my art desk! What water-based brush pens do you use for papercrafts?

Birthday Wishes and Sheepy Kisses (& using up scraps!)

Whenever I'm stamping, and I have my inkpads, embossing powders and heat gun out, I always try and do a few extra images. Not only does this mean that I have extras if something goes wrong (!) but also that I have a stash of leftovers which I can grab from when I want to make a quick card - such as this! The turquoise card was also a scrap leftover from another project, mounted on some beautiful sparkly grey corrugated card. I did get a stamp out to add "Birthday Wishes", but this was still a quick but lovely card to make :) I love how happy this sheep is!

Red and Gold Chinese-styled Card

A bit different from my normal card making adventures, I do hope I've titled this one appropriately! This beautifully detailed stamp is another one I inherited last summer, and is inked on to a thin cream paper. This is mounted on red paper and another styled with Chinese lettering. I added gold highlights to the lady's dress and hair using metallic paint, and some extra hair highlights with gold Liquid Pearls. I love the rich red and gold against the black outlines, it makes me think of Chinese New Year!

Pink Hearts Anniversary Card

Last time I used this stamp I experimented with white embossing powder, but this time I decided to stick with black. I stamped it on to some mottled ivory card, and coloured it in with watercolours. The image is then mounted on the sparkly, slightly corrugated grey card I keep talking about, and dark pink pearly paper. I love how well this matches with the paint colour! I added some extra off-white pearl paper to the background as I love it when things are a bit quirky and off centre :)

Flower Pot Card

This Flowerpot Stamp is another I received in last years huge stash inheritance. It's a lovely stamp, with so many possibilities for both decorating the pot and the colours of the flowers. This time I went for a simple terracotta pot and some daisies, primarily painted in watercolour with a touch of Whispers Strokes pens. I added Liquid Pearls to the centre flower, as I like a card to have a bit of shimmer! I mounted the image on some hammered ivory paper and some green polka dot paper from a craft paper bundle with Craftseller magazine. I thought it made for a nice cheerful spring card :)

"When the Wind is High..."

When I was a little girl, I'd sometimes venture into my Dad's study late at night. He'd put his record player on, and we'd dance... One song I vividly remember from these times is Kites, by Simon Dupree and The Big Sound. I wanted my Father's Day card this year to reflect these memories... a snow white kite, hints of gold, soaring high above... I made an origami kite, framed in gold. I added Liquid Pearls for highlights, and stamped on a few words from the song. I hope he recalls these memories like I do.

Stamped Owl Card

I've been waiting for an opportunity to try out this owl stamp, and a young girl's Birthday card seemed the perfect opportunity! I did what I often do when I don't want to fully colour an image, which is a background watercolour wash. Once it has dried, I stamp/emboss the image over the top, and then add in some extra details of colour. It brings life to the image without too much effort. I mounted the stamped image on some beautiful papers I have in my stash and added a flower sequin to bring some sparkle! I'm afraid I don't know the make/name of this owl stamp as I received it second hand. It is one of the clear adhesive ones, which I have mixed feelings about. I like that they are cheaper than their mounted counterparts, but I never seem to have an appropriate sized block to mount them on!

Hearts Card with White Embossing and Watercolours

It's been a while since I did any white embossing, but this post from Paper Mill Direct reminded me of it's existence and I had to get back to it. I love that the outline is more subtle but that it encloses the watercolour, and it allows for a much softer finish.

The hearts stamp (from See-D's Love Collection, 50509) and the ivory hammered card came from the wonderful stash I inherited last year, and everything else was from my own stock, a lot of which has come from Alexander Paper Supplies. I used a water filled brush to apply the paint, as I love how easy it is to pick up and go. And yes, my watercolour palette is always this messy!

Stamped Floral Cards

These cards are actually created using three separate flower stamps, with different amounts of their stems inked to create this floral scene. Once the ink had dried, I added colour using Whispers Strokes pens and a water-filled paintbrush. I added colour to the leaves with watercolour paint, and mounted the images on some card I had - the lilac and purple are both metallic and catch the light! Some lovely fresh spring flowers for these cold dark months.

Stamped Fox Card

A friend recently celebrated her Birthday. With it being so near Christmas and such a wintery time, I wanted to freshen up her bedroom with a card full of spring time and fresh colours. I layered this fox stamp over a water colour wash, adding some extra colour with a Whispers Strokes pen (I need more of these!) I then mounted it on cardstock. I don't think I've used this colour combination before, but I really love it.

Stamped Christmas Cards

I like to keep my Christmas cards simple in design, allowing me to make them for as many people as possible! I like this classic colouring of cream, maroon and gold - it feels rich and warm.

Having inherited a large amount of stamps earlier this year, I went looking through the box for an appropriately Christmassy design! This isn't super festive, but the leaves could be perceived as holly, and I think embossed in gold it looks right for the season :)

"Gorjuss" Stamped Cards II

After making some "Gorjuss" stamped cards earlier this year, I decided to dig out my stamps again for some little cards for my nieces.

Much the same as last time, I stamped in black ink over backgrounds I had washed with watercolour, and mounted the images on an array of papers and cards from my collection.

I added some extra colour to their dresses with some felt tips, and added a touch of sparkle - everyone needs a little sparkle!

A Peek Inside My Sketchbook VII

Printing with cranberries!

Click here to see previous sketchbook posts, and like me on Facebook for sneak peeks as they happen!