Back to school - at last!

Stamps: Polka Dot Basics II , Take Note(PTI)

Ink: Lady Bug, Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Other: 2",1.75", 1.125" circle punches; apple punch

I am SO looking forward to Wednesday, packing the kids off to school & getting my house back.  Well, apart from the builders, but they're no trouble while they're on the roof.  At least they don't cover my floors in lego.  Which I then stand on in bare feet.  And swear.  Then remember the kids are home, & I shouldn't be using language like that...  What do like best about your kids going back to school?

 

CAS-ual Friday's challenge is to celebrate this event.  I created the clock face digitally, sizing it for a 1.75" circle punch, then added the apple for 9 o'clock.  The hands were stamped on aqua card & then fixed with a plain silver brad, so they can be moved.  Hardest thing? Stamping the polka dots straight.  Seems I'm out of shape, stamping-wise.  Ended up cutting the strip out of my scrap piece, just to be sure.

 

 

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC68 ~ Top of the Class

New house card

Stamps: Good Neighbours (SU); Bitty Banners, Fanciful Phrases (WM); Polka Dots II (PTI)

Ink: Tumbled Glass (DI), Lady Bug (Memento)

Other: opaque white embossing powder (WOW)

I made this card a while ago, but never got around to posting.
The 3 houses were stamped with Versamark & embossed with white embossing powder, then swiped over using a brush & some watered down distress ink.
The banner & sentiment were stamped on when dry in the same ink.  For a bit of interest I cut away the side profile & stamped behind in red.
The heart in the first house is a sequin coloured with pro-markers.

This fits in with Less is More this week: 3 houses, 2 colours, 1 heart.

Linking to:
Less is More: Week 82 ~ 3-2-1

Lino cut fish

Tools used: 2 inch, 1.125 inch circle punches; Martha Stewart circle cutter; Crop-a-Dile

Hello folks, I'm back.  It's a bit chaotic here at the moment: children off school, hubby off work, builders & plumbers everywhere... Not conducive to a stint of nice relaxing crafting at all!

 

Anyway, whilst out & about this week, I came upon a print of some lino cut fish, which led to the above.  It works for CAS-ology & CAS-ual Fridays this week.

 

Don't know when I'll manage to snatch 5 minutes again, but I will be back, I promise.

 

Linking to:

CAS-ology: Week 7 ~ Green

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC66 ~ Splish Splash

Ocean triptych

Ink: Aqua (Ranger Adirondack); Tumbled Glass (DI)

Other: Prismacolor pencil; corner chomper; Signo Broad gel pen

This week on CAS-ual Fridays the challenge is something you would see in or at the ocean.  I was inspired by this fantastic photo:

The sky & sea are done in the same ink.  I used hand-cut scalloped mask for the cloud effect.

I did draw in some birds on the top right with gel pen, but they are a bit hard to see in the photo.  I added the boat in pencil just for a little splash of colour, but tried it out in various other media first.  I nearly chickened out - kept putting the pencil up to the paper & pulling away - but am glad I held my nerve.

Not sure if it's too plain or not.  Might add a sentiment when I know the occasion & the recipient.

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC66 ~ Splish Splash



Squares, squares everywheres

Stamps: Gingham & Co (WM); Little Bitty Bird (PTI)

Ink: Tangelo, Rose Bud, Angel Pink (Memento); Aqua (Ranger Adirondack)

Font:  migrainesans

Whilst seeking square inspiration, I chanced upon this piece of art:

So I replicated the layout for my card. The squares were all masked & stamped, & I like the way the ink has bled a little on the linen textured card, giving the squares a frayed fabric feel.

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC65 ~ Square card 

More chevron ducks...

Stamps: Fanciful Flowers (Elzybells)

Ink: Lilac Posies (Memento)

I created the duck stamp for a CASology card earlier in the week & lo, here is another opportunity to use it for Less Is More today.  Gotta love a chevron duck!  If you want the file, just leave me your email in a comment below.

I re-coloured it using colours found on this web page, & instantly it becomes feminine.  Add a pink sentiment & away we go.

Linking to:

Less is More: Week 80 ~ One Layer, Fur or Feathers

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC65 ~ Square Card

CASology: Week 5 ~ Pond

CFC65 ~ a square card

Stamp: Tin Types (PTI)

Ink: Christmas Red (HobbyCraft)

Other: Star Die (MFT)

This is a card from last year (hence the DIRE photo, as opposed to the usually just BAD) that has not yet appeared here.

Simple masking with Post-Its above a digital sentiment, with a blingy star up top.

I'm sure this won't be my only entry this week, as most of my cards are square.

Linking to:

CAS-ual Fridays: CFC65 ~ Clean & Simple Square

OLW100 ~ Transport

Stamps: Polka Dot Basics II, Take Note (PTI); Vintage Bicycle (Graphics Fairy)

Ink: Aqua (Ranger Adirondack); Lady Bug (Memento)

Font:  WorstVeld Sling Extra; Trocchi Bold; Century Gothic

As soon as I saw the theme for OLW this week, I thought bicycle.  I found the image on Graphics Fairy, & googled for a suitable quote.  I put together the sentiment myself, using the rule of 3 fonts, & I have to say I'm pretty chuffed with how it turned out.  So I printed out the basics...

and I liked it, but it wasn't quite finished.

So I broke out the stamps & ink, warily I have to admit, following the water lily fiasco.

And now I love it.

Edit: Looking at Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger, I can see bicycle spokes with aqua & red:

Linking to

One Layer Wednesday: OLW100 ~ Transport
Moxie Fab World: Tuesday Trigger ~ Type Hype
Lawnscaping: One Layer

Quacking day

Paper: Chevrons (Pink Petticoat)

Font: Century Gothic

You can't beat a good pun!  The duck was created from a digital photo, using Silhouette Studio, & then filled with Pink Petticoat digital paper & printed on to aqua card.  I re-sized the chevrons so they were to scale with the size of the duck.  Sentiment was printed out, cut to size with a knife & the notches made with a square punch.

I like this shape.  I see more ducks in my future... (At least it will be a break from Tagxedo!).

Linking to:
CASology 5 ~ Pond

CASology 5 ~ Pond

Stamps: Teeny Trees (WM)

Ink: Angel Pink, Rose Bud, Dandelion (Memento)

This week at CASology, the word is POND.  If you put that into Pinterest, this is one of the pictures that comes up:

So out came the faithful Teeny Trees again!  Angel Pink was used for the outer petals.  For the next layer, I touched the edges of the stamp on to Rose Bud, then stamped off, then applied Angel Pink.  Next, Rose Bud stamped off.  Then Rose Bud Stamped off with Rose Bud edges.  Finally, just Rose Bud.

I faffed about with centre for quite a long time - frilly bits, snowflakes, small flowers etc - before giving in to a plain yellow circle.  Still not entirely sure about it, but I'm glad I took the picture then, as I subsequently stuffed it up good & proper with a dandelion head stamp in the middle.  You won't be seeing the final result of that!

Linking to:

CASology 5 ~ Pond 



Paint charts & punches

Papers: paint charts

Other: tiny apple punch

Would be a good teacher thank you card, or just a birthday card.  No sentiment, didn't think it was needed.

A circle of circles

Stamp: Tagxedo (see below)

Font: migrainesans

Other: 2", 1.75" circle punches

The 'stamp' was created using Tagxedo (Tagxedo.com) to fill a circle shape with 'Circle Things' font.  The colour scheme was 'Quiet Morning'.  I saved off the image created & then sized it in another program to fit my 1.75" circle punch.

The white card is matted on to the green with sticky pads to give dimension.

Linking to:

Less is More: LIM79~ Blue & Green

Butterfly Cloud

OK, so I apologise for becoming a Tagxedo bore, with 3 posts in a row, but I am having a whale of a time making it bend to my will!  That's what I enjoy most - finding something new, seeing what it can do & then trying to make it do my bidding.  You see, amongst many other things, I am a control freak.

This butterfly cloud is made using another (free) dingbat font.  I love the way this program changes the sizes to fit right to the edge of the shape.  The butterflies are all whole, just tiny.

The layout was the hardest thing for me to decide with this card.  I started out with intentions of centring, but decided that was too obvious.  The 3 gems are from a nail art kit I got from the pound shop years ago.

I have plenty more ideas in the pipeline using other dingbat fonts, especially my favourite dB Fruitbowl, but maybe I'll stagger them a bit so you don't get too bored.

Linking to:

CFC64 ~ On Cloud 9

Ho ho ho

More Tagxedo, with a little robin to soften the whole thing.

Linking to:
The Play Date Cafe: PDCC143 ~ Cherry, Mint Julip & Jade

CASology Week 4 ~ Bird

Tagxedo

I made a happy discovery during my meanderings through blogland this morning.  Tagxedo.com.  It allows you to fill shapes with the text of your choice & then save the result as a .jpg or .png file.  How great is that?  Well maybe not that great for normal people but for a font/graphic geek such as myself it's fantastic!

I've had a little play & managed to customise colours & add words to fill, but there are plenty more ideas I want to explore yet.  I'm thinking of doing the children's names, filled with adjectives of their choice, as pictures for their bedrooms, as well as the simple birthday cards as shown above.

If you have a play, let me know what you think.  What will you try?