Clarity Challenge - Nature

This months entry for the Clarity Stamps challenge was created with:

🔹 the tree/branch from the "Joy frame kit" stamp set

🔹2 of the leaves from the "Remountable Split Tree Leaves" Clear Stamps 

🔹forest ridge 

🔹bunny3.  

The sunrise was created by rubbing rose, orange and gold inks on a dry baby wipe, in a circular motion.  This is the first attempt using the dry wipe to blend and I was very impressed how well it worked.  

I have gone through many sponges in the past, which have disintegrated mid project; perhaps I'm not buying the right sponges?  Baby wipes are much cheaper, you can make a nice pad with them, and makes use of the packets of wipes that have become too dry to clean stamps with!

Sun detail.

Anything goes - try something new

Well this months Clarity challenge was anything goes, with encouragement to try something new.  I was fascinated with the shaving cream technique and originally thought I would try this.  However most of the shops I tried only stocked shaving gel.  I will have to keep an eye out and wait!  

Anyway I was doing a bit of tidying and came across a kids creative kit by crayola.  Basically it is white card which you colour with a magic pen, then colours magically appear!!

I used a lovely chrysanthemum stencil by Clarity Stamps and stamped the sentiment from the Clarity "Happy Words" set.

Last minute as usual but hope it meets the requirements for try something new!  Turns out I was so late I missed the deadline.... So decided to try a couple of other challenges.

http://www.4craftychicks.blogspot.co.uk - Anything goes

The surprising thing was the colours appeared to get more vibrant with time, you could hardly see them when I first did it.

June Clarity Challenge entry

Nearly at the end of the month and I find myself posting my entry to the Clarity Challenge on the last day again!  I did start early this time, getting all the artwork done, but didn't get round to mounting it until the last day.

The letters and boxes were from the wonderful Letterbox kit, this time teamed with the ballon stamp to form "Happy".  The tree stamp is also Clarity.  I have created my own stencils for the undulating hills and fluffy clouds, and was quite pleased with the overall effect.

Here is a close-up of the clouds:

Pop-up Fathers Day card

 This is the Father's Day card I made for my wonderful Dad.  

I've done a few pop-up box cards, but this is my favourite, so fitting that it is for my Dad.  Of course it had to include a Siamese (front row, left)!  Each cat was individually stamped and coloured, using masks made from post-its.

I'm still limited with shades of brown but generally managed to create a menagerie of cats!

I'm entering this card in the Papermill challenge, as the card was made using card from the Papermill.  This was my first purchase from the Papermill, and I have been very impressed.

http://papermilldirect.co.uk/community/june-challenge-win-a-box-of-papermilldirect-card?utm_source=papermilldirect+List&utm_campaign=e7bc2b7f32-Light+Ivory+Smooth+-+19th+June+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_307659cad1-e7bc2b7f32-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&ct=t%28Light+Ivory+Smooth+-+19th+June+14%29&mc_cid=e7bc2b7f32&mc_eid=%5BUNIQID%5D

http://papermilldirect.co.uk/community/june-challenge-win-a-box-of-papermilldirect-card?utm_source=papermilldirect+List&utm_campaign=e7bc2b7f32-Light+Ivory+Smooth+-+19th+June+14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_307659cad1-e7bc2b7f32-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&ct=t%28Light+Ivory+Smooth+-+19th+June+14%29&mc_cid=e7bc2b7f32&mc_eid=%5BUNIQID%5D

Clarity words

 This months entry for the Clarity challenge. http://claritystampchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/challenge-15.html

The theme was words, so I was limited to a handful of words that I currently own (and no poems).  Although I have created many cards using the wonderfully useful letter box, I set myself the challenge to us the single word "Dream", which I had not previously used.  

Most of the card was created with watercolour pencils, which were wet-brushed after direct application, to soften the look.  The Clarity stamps used were the fence and birds from the birdhouse set (using Promarkers to create the shadow).  The split tree was used to create the grass and plants near the fence.  Then the inspiration for the whole card, the word "Dream" from the Birdcage set.

I would also like to add a few words in tribute to Maya Angelou, who died this week.  I was only recently introduced to the words of this inspirational lady; introduced by another inspirational lady Barbara Gray.  I have since read a number of her works and would encourage you to take the trouble to look her up.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 
― Maya Angelou

First attempt at a box card!

This is my first attempt at a box card.  I learnt a few things, mainly how useful a scoring board would be to make this type of card!  My Dad was thrilled, and had never seen this type of card before.  Mum and Dad have been my the main recipients of my card making efforts, as I have not moved to selling them.  The momentum I have  for card making is purely as a hobby, and they currently take too long to ask for payment!

The cliffs are on the back of the box card with the lighthouse set forward and the hovering "Dad" word attached via acetate on the most forward beam.

Next time I think I shall do a much busier scene with either flowers or balloons.  It's good to try different ideas.

Mother's Days Challenge

A card for my marvellous Mum.  My Mum loves poppies so I had had this stamp in mind for her card since last month, and then when I saw the theme of this months challenge, thought I should enter.  However, I didn't want to post it until I had given it to her!

The poppy was stamped using butterscotch, once using the whole stamp and once on a smaller card, just highlighting one area; I think it works well, highlighting the smaller bud rather than the more obvious main flower head.  Both stamped images were then coloured using gel pens, the card has a slight mica effect from using the gel pens; I have used 4 shades of red and 3 shades of green pens.  Both coloured images were then mounted on separate dark green card, leaving a narrow border.  The top, partial poppy, image was then mounted to line-up with the main image using foam pads, you may be able to see the shadow from the raised top layer.  I love this Clarity poppy stamp and have used it many times.

I love you Mum.

Love with Clarity!

Apart from this being the card I made for my wonderful other half, I thought I would enter it in to this months Clarity challenge.   The heart stencil is one I made myself using a die set, but the leaf stencil, within the heart, is the first outing of one of my Clarity Christmas presents.  The birds are from the fantastic bird house set and the word from the birdcage set.  The card is all on a single layer, with the shading under the heart making it look like the heart is standing away from the card (using Barbara's tip)

Clarity challenge - New Beginnings

A card I made for my friends new job; she started a new job with the

Halle (hence the music).  I'm loving the birdhouse set Santa brought me, so many possibilities, but so little time to play!

The lucky shamrock was made with 4 die cut hearts, which were then embossed.  This was the start of the design, I then used a colour wheel to decide on the complementary colours for the landscape.  The landscape was created on a Clarity card, the landscape was then tucked behind the letters which were stamped on to the base card, with appropriate cuts along the edge of the letterbox squares - another Barbara Gray tip