Now what? - Arthur is sitting on suitcases and frowning

Now what? That's the question Arthur is struggling with right now. But don't worry, Arthur is a wise owl, he can figure out the answer. 

I have made this card for our current challenge over at the Country View Challenges. The theme is The birds and the bees and the lovely Sue will be your hostess in April.

For making this card, first I cut out the pieces of Arthur, then I started to paint the parts with Distress Pumice Stone paint. To the edges I blended Vintage Photo Archival ink. 

Then I added a little brown (Gathered Twigs) for the pieces I had to glue on the top. For edges of these pieces, I used Ground Espresso Archival ink. 

Then I spattered Arthur with Walnut Stain paint.

His eyes got Mowed Lawn colour, his beak Carved Pumpkin with a little brown. Here you can see all the paints and inks I used for colouring Mr. Cuteness.

For the background I took a watercolour paper and started to blend Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn ink. Then I made patterns on the paper with a stencil and Mowed Lawn Oxide ink. I spattered the background with Vintage Photo Spray Stain and inked the edges with Gathered Twigs.

Since I found the background too bold, I toned back the colour with diluted Picket Fence paint.

The suitcases were made earlier, you can see that post here.

What I used:

Sizzix Thinlits die, Colorize Arthur (664730)

Sizzix Thinlits die, The Gent (665202)

Sizzix Thinlits die, Alphanumeric Classic Upper (664223)

Sizzix Bigz die, Baggage Claim (664439)

Stampers Anonymous layering stencil, Linen (THS061)

Ranger Distress paints (Carved Pumpkin, Gathered Twigs, Mowed Lawn, Pumice Stone, Walnut Stain)

Ranger Distress ink pads (Gathered Twigs, Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron)

Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads (Mowed Lawn)

Ranger Distress Archival ink pads (Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso)

If you have a project with birds or bees (or both), please don't hesitate to join our April challenge where a randomly selected winner can have a £20 voucher to spend in the Country View Crafts online shop.

Easter card with Cottontail by Tim Holtz

The last time, I so enjoyed making a patterned background with Easter eggs using Pumice Stone and Speckled Egg Distress Oxide inks that I decided to make another one with some changes, of course. Here you can see my earlier card that I mentioned and there you can find the tutorial as well.

And here is my today card.

What I used:

Stampers Anonymous, Spring Shadows (CMS393)

Sizzix Thinlits die, Sizzix Wildflower Stems 1 

Sizzix Bigz die, Cottontail

Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads (Pumice Stone, Speckled Egg)

Ranger Distress paint (Speckled Egg)

Ranger Distress Archival ink pads (Ground Espresso, Vintage Photo)

Ranger Distress ink pad (Gathered Twigs)

I hope you like it!!! Thank you for stopping by!!!

Hippity and Hoppity - Easter card

Let me introduce you the two Easter bunnies, Hippity and Hoppity. They are very cheerful and droll young rabbits, also they are best friends. 

Now let's see how I made the background for these merry chaps. 

First of all, I took a 300 gsm watercolour paper and started to stamp eggs with Distress Oxide colours (Speckled Egg, Pumice Stone) randomly. For this, I used the Stampers Anonymous, Bird Feather stamp set. You can also use the Spring Shadows for this. Maybe next time I will do a background with that too. In the end I speckled the background with diluted Ground Espresso Distress paint.

After this, I did some stitching. I don't often do such a thing, just when I have to take out my sewing machine to shorten my new jeans, since I'm a diminutive woman :-) I also inked the edges with Gathered Twigs colour.

The next step was to make an underlayer. For this, I cut out a one size bigger square and coloured the edges with Distress Speckled Egg paint.

The rabbits were cut out with the Sizzix Thinlits, Bunny Hop die from Kraft paper. This is why I could sand the edges.

For the text, I used an old Strip (Sizzlits) die, the Tattered Curvy Banners. The two words of the text were stamped separately. First I inked the Hippity carefully to avoid inking the Hoppity accidentally. For this, I used the Ground Espresso Archival ink. Then I do the same with the Hoppity. I also spattered the banner with Vintage Photo Spray Stain using a brush.

What I used:

Sizzix Thinlits die, Bunny Hop by Tim Holtz

Sizzix Sizzlits Strip die, Tattered Curvy Banners by Tim Holtz

Stampers Anonymous, Bird Feather stamp set (CMS180)

Stampers Anonymous, Spring Shadows stamp set (CMS393)

Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads (Pumice Stone, Speckled Egg)

Ranger Distress ink pads (Gathered Twigs)

Ranger Distress paints (Ground Espresso, Speckled Eggs)

Ranger Distress Spray Stain (Vintage Photo)

Idea-ology Classic Kraft Stock

I hope you like it!!! Thank you for stopping by!!!

Easter card with silhouette bunny

Hello crafty friends, this is my second project for our March challenge, Silhouette. We would like you to put a silhouette image to the focal point of your project. I did that too. For this, I chose an old Bigz die, the Easter elements by Tim Holtz. A perfect silhouette bunny.

Actually, the background was in my stash for quite some time. I think I made it when the Speckled Egg colour was released and it arrived to me. I really liked it but I couldn't find anything suitable for this nice background until now.

So, first I used the Rosette layering stencil and I blended embossing ink through the stencil. Then I melted Liquid Platinum embossing powder with a heat tool. When the embossed pattern was cold again, I started to blend Speckled Egg Distress ink onto the surface. I placed a little bit bigger paper under my background which edges were heat embossed with Liquid Platinum. Then I speckled my background with diluted Vintage Photo.

The  bunny was coloured with Spun Sugar Distress paint.

But then, I put a layer of pearl shine to the top. For this you can use the Ranger Liquid Pearls but I used the DecoArt Oyster Pearl paint.

What I used:

Sizzix Bigz die, Easter Elements

Sizzix Thinlits die, Wildflowers Stems 1

Sizzix Thinlits die, Friendship Words (Script)

Sizzix Impresslits die, Star Trim

Stampers Anonymous, Rosette layering stencil

I'm not sure you can see it but I put on my each die-cut a pearl shine cover. And the Star Trim was covered with Liquid Platinum too.

If you have a silhouette project, please don't hesitate to join our March challenge where a randomly selected winner can have a £20 voucher to spend in the Country View Crafts online shop.

Bookmark with a little mademoiselle and balloons

Hello everyone, let me show you my bookmark that I made for the MFT Color Challenge 161. 

What I used:

MFT Stamps, Birdie Brown Mon Chéri stamp set

MFT Stamps Balloon Bouquet stamp set

MFT Stamps, Stitched Traditional Tags Die-Namics

Copic Sketch markers

Thank you card with Brushstroke Flowers

Hello everyone, I'm here again with a thank you card this time. In Luxembourg where I live there are three official languages, the Luxembourgish, the French and the German. Both in Luxembourgish and in French the "thank you" is "merci". 

For this card, I created a background with the Lattice&Flourish background stamp. I used the Ranger Super Fine white embossing powder and embossing ink pad. Then I started to blend Pumice Stone colour onto the surface.

Since I wasn't quite satisfied with the intensity of this colour, I blended Hickory Smoke as well. Then I inked the edges with Ground Espresso.

The flowers are from the Sizzix Brushstroke Flowers 2 Thinlits die set. I coloured the flowers with Distress Oxide inks, Squeezed Lemonade and Mustard Seed. I inked the edges with Gathered Twigs.

For the leaves, I used Bundled Sage, Rustic Wilderness and a little Mowed Lawn, for the edges Gathered Twigs again. When I was ready with the colouring, I spattered them with diluted white paint.

What I used:

Sizzix Thinlits die, Brushstroke Flowers 2 (665210)

Sizzix Thinlits die, Alphanumeric Tiny Type Lower (664407)

Stampers Anonymous, Lattice&Flourish (CMS257)

Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads (Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Bundled Sage, Rustic Wilderness, Mowed Lawn, Gathered Twigs)

Ranger Distress ink pads (Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso, Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke)

Ranger Super Fine Detail white embossing powder

half pearls

etc.

With my card, I would like to join the:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Use Something Green

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Beautiful Blossoms

Thank you for stopping by!!! Happy crafting!!!

Birthday card with Harrison - red stripes

Hello again, I'm here with a new Harrison card. After I finished the card with the blue striped background, I wanted to make another one with red stripes. 

Here you can hop to my earlier blog post with Harrison and the blue stripes. And if you click there you will see that I changed not just the colours but the "how" too.

For making the stripes, I used again washi tape but instead of Archival ink, here I used Distress paint (Candied Apple).

Then I chose one of the stars from the Sizzix Bigz Crescent Moon&Stars die. And I cut out plenty from that. This one:

And I started to glue them on the stripes. For this I used the Star Shifter stencil as a ruler, to know where to place the next star. I'm not left handed, this is just for the photo, as the iPhone was in my right hand :-D

When I was ready with the background, I spattered the surface with diluted Antique Linen ink and I inked the edges with Vintage Photo Archival ink.

For the gift box, I used the Baggage Claim Bigz die and I coloured the base with Chipped Sapphire Oxide ink. I inked the edges with Ground Espresso. Later I spattered with Picket Fence paint and with a fine flat brush because I wanted tiny spatters.

The top was coloured with Broken China Oxide ink and for the edges I used Vintage Photo.

The "ribbon" of the box was coloured with Fossilized Amber.

What I used:

Sizzix Bigz die, Crescent Moon&Stars

Sizzix Bigz die, Baggage Claim

Sizzix Thinlits die, Harrison Colorize

Sizzix Thinlits die, Winter Wardrobe (for the hat)

Sizzix Thinlits die, Circle Play

Sizzix Thinlits die, Cool Yule (for the bow tie)

Ranger Distress paint (Candied Apple)

Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads (Chipped Sapphire, Broken China)

Ranger Distress ink pads (Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso)

Ranger Distress Archival ink pad (Vintage Photo)

Ranger Distress marker (Fossilized Amber)

Idea-ology Botanical Remnant Rubs

card stocks (different shade of browns, black)

I hope you like it!!! Thank you for stopping by!!!

Birthday card with Bloom Colorize

Hello everyone, I'm here again with a birthday card. For this card, I used one of the Sizzix Chapter 1 (2021) Tim Holtz dies, the beautiful Colorize Bloom.

For the background, I had two inspirations. One is from Kath Stewart who created a grey striped background with the Shifter Stripes layering stencil for her card. The other is my Harrison card where I made a blue striped background but with washi tape. 

Here I used the Shifter Stripes stencil and Faded Jeans Oxide ink to make the background for my flower.

The next step was to spatter with diluted Vintage Photo ink, then to tone back the colours with diluted white paint.

I cut off the excess and with Vintage Photo Archival ink, I stamped on the surface here and there. I also inked the edges with Gathered Twigs Distress ink.

I placed my background to a brown cardstock and I inked the edges with Gathered Twigs.

What I used:

Sizzix Thinlits die, Colorize Bloom by Tim Holtz

Sizzix Thinlits die, Tiny Type Lower by Tim Holtz

Sizzix Thinlits die, Tiny Type Upper by Tim Holtz

Stampers Anonymous, Shabby French by Tim Holtz (CMS087)

Stampers Anonymous, Lady Rose by Tim Holtz (CMS255)

Stampers Anonymous, Shifter Stripes layering stencil

Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads (Rustic Wilderness, Bundled Sage, Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Faded Jeans)

Ranger Distress ink (Gathered Twigs)

Ranger Distress Archival ink (Vintage Photo)

Ranger Distress Spray Stain (Vintage Photo)

For assembling my flower and leaves, I followed the instructions of this YouTube video.

I hope you like it!!! Thank you for stopping by!!!

Tag with a love couple

Hello everyone, it's March 1 and we have a new challenge over at the Country View Challenges. The theme is Silhouette and the lovely Rachel will be your hostess this month. The silhouette has to be the focal point of your project. 

Well, for this challenge, I created a tag with the Christmastime love couple but I imagined them in a Spring night walk. The man is holding a balloon in his hand instead of the pine tree. For this, the idea came from my earlier Valentine's Day tag.

First of all, I cut out a tag with the Movers&Shapers Tag&Bookplates die from 300gsm watercolour paper. Then I started to blend mostly Oxide inks onto the surface.

The middle part was Cracked Pistachio, then Faded Jeans, then Chipped Sapphire, then Black Soot. When I was ready with the background colours, I tapped Distress Resist Spray to the surface with a sponge. With this, I sealed and protected my background.

I cut out the couple from black paper twice to give them more dimension. 

What I used:

Sizzix Movers&Shapers die, Tag&Bookplates by Tim Holtz

Sizzix Thinlits die, Circle Play by Tim Holtz (for the string of the balloon)

Sizzix Thinlits die, Crazy Things by Tim Holtz (for the balloon)

Sizzix Thinlits die, Christmastime by Tim Holtz

Ranger Distress Oxide inks (Cracked Pistachio, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire)

Ranger Distress ink (Black Soot)

Ranger Distress Resist Spray

etc.

If you have a Silhouette project, please don't hesitate to join our March challenge where a randomly selected winner can have a £20 voucher to spend in the Country View Crafts online shop.

With my tag, I would like to join the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Anything but a card

Bookmark with MFT Birthday Cutie

I'm still colouring but I made this one for the MFT Color Challenge 160.

What I used:

MFT Stamps RAM Birthday Cutie

MFT Stamps BB Mon Chéri

MFT Stamps, Stitched Traditional Tags

Copic Sketch markers

With my bookmark I would like to also join the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

I hope you like it!!! Thank you for stopping by!!!