WLS Sept#2 - Trees & Leaves

Good Morning everyone

Its mid way through our September challenge over at We Love Stamping where the theme this month is very topical 

TREES & LEAVES

Don't forget the stamping

Ive gone with a stamped leafy background here as the backdrop for my stamped owl.

Card size approx 5x7" die cut from Kraft card.  Being recycled Kraft card is a good one for a tree theme as saves us cutting down another tree😁 

I stamped the leafy background stamp onto ivory cardstock using my red & orange ombre inkpad, i then added a little green colour with my inktense pencils and then added highlights with white inktense pencil.  This is an A7 stamp so i stamped it twice to get a panel big enough for my background.  I then die cut with the arched panel die which I also cut from more kraft card.  

I adhered the kraft card frame onto a deep rich rust coloured cardstock and then adhered the leafy panels into place and added to the card front.

I then stamped my owl onto more kraft card, coloured with inktense pencils and cut out.  I die cut some leaves from white vellum and added to the cardfront with pinflair glue gel, adding the owl on top of the leaves.  Stamped sentiment with green glitter gems added to finish.

The sentiment is by Clearly Besotted and the set is called 'seasonal sentiments' some of my most used sentiment stamps ever as something for all seasons so very useful

Items Used:

aall&create stamps #557 'Open Leaves' & #306 'owl'

Clearly Besotted stamps 'seasonal sentiments'

Crealies XL arch die set

Arch frame die set 

MFT leaf dies

Kaleidacolor ink pad 'desert heat'

Versafine Clair ink

Derwent Inktense pencils

CraftUK ltd kraft card

Papermania Vellum

We have this fabulous prize for the lucky winners this month so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in 

Id love to enter the following:

https://unicornchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-124-not-square.html

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https://carabbiemomentsofcraft.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-286-autumn-colours.html

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https://girlzcreativecrafts.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-72-shaped-card.html

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https://dreamvalleychallenge2.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-368-autumn-colours.html

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https://craftingacutabove.blogspot.com/2026/09/september-challenge-20.html

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https://inspirationstationchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/09/inspiration-station-challenge-september.html - Inspired by the colours and leaves

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https://craftyanimals.blogspot.com/2026/09/challenge-109.html

 

WLS #1 Sept - Trees & Leaves

Good Morning everyone

Its the first Sunday of September so time for a new challenge at We Love Stamping where the theme picked by me is 

TREES &/OR LEAVES

So apt for the season but don't just think Autumn, we can have lovely bright spring or summer trees/leaves or a wintery wreath full of different foliage's so lots of choices.

For my card I decided to go for both and used a leaf background stamp inked with all the colours of autumn leaves as they change, my ombre ink pads were perfect for this and finished with a brown mirri card die cut tree trunk.

5x6.5" Card cut from cream linen card.

Onto cream linen card i stamped the leaf stamp inking up with 3 different ombre ink pads and die cut into long rectangles.  

As the stamped die cut rectangles were slightly too short for the die i wanted to use for my topper panel i cut them apart where i decided i wanted my tree to go as this would hide the join - originally i planed to adhere back in a continued line but as they slipped on my topper before i glued them in place and i thought ooooh i wonder if i off set them....happy accident but i liked it so adhered them offset slightly - i think it adds interest to want is quite a simple design and adds to the movement of the leaves in the seasons - they go from greens into orange/reds into browns and then drop to the floor. Photo below shows this better.

I die cut the tree trunk from dark chocolate brown mirror card and adhered into place, covering the join in the leaf panels.  I adhered the topper panel onto the card front.  Stamped the quote with dark brown ink onto more cream linen card and added across the bottom of the card front with glue gel so its slightly raised.  Enamel dots added to finish to give the feel of falling leaves.

You can see the shine on the mirror card better at this angle, it just adds another texture and finish.  It was only after adding the enamel dots to my sentiment strip when i realised they were UK traffic lights😂

Quote reads

'Nothing is more peaceful than the whispers of the wind through the trees'

My topper showing how i added the stamped panels.  I could of course just have cut all the panels with a trimmer to fit the stamped panel size but as i was making a fairly CAS design I wanted to use my stitched edged dies to add interest so I made the stamped image fit the dies with some hidden cuts.

Items Used:

aall&create stamp #556 'leaves'

Inkylicious quote stamp 'forest quote'

Kaleidacolor ink pads 'carribean sky, cappuccino delight & desert heat'

Enamel and glitter dots

Memory box birch tree die

MFT stitched panel dies 

CraftUk ltd cream linen card

We have 2 prizes this month, a $30 store voucher from Taylored Expressions and Penny Black stamp set and stencil from Buddly Crafts so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in 

Id love to join in the following:

https://cinspirations.blogspot.com/2026/09/september-challenge-hello-autumn.html - #2

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https://thefourseasonschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/09/fall-season-september-2026.html - 2nd entry

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https://www.simplyellibelle.com/2026/08/ellibelles-garden-party-no-18-anything.html

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https://sweetstampinchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2026/08/use-die-cut.html

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WLS Aug#2 - Summer blooms

Good Morning everyone

Time for some mid month inspiration over at We Love Stamping where the theme is 

SUMMER BLOSSOMS

or if thats not for you we always have the anything stamping goes option and always a prize for the lucky winner

A5 white card blank

I first stamped the flowers and foliage onto smooth white card, coloured with alcohol markers & cut out.  I stamped the flowers with teal ink and the foliage with green ink so much softer than black.  I then found a suitable patterned paper in my stash - this blue felt like a summers sky to me but to soften it down a bit i stencilled a pattern with a blue tone white and where i wanted the acetate vase i dry brushed on the blue white to both help the vase stand out more but also the effect you get when looking through glass vase filled with water - it softens and blurs what you can see it.

I matted the paper onto fuchsia pink holographic card and lilac pearl card picking up on the colours in my flowers and then the card base, rounding all the corners as i went - the rounded corners pick up on the bulbous flowers.

I then got arranging the flowers, some adhered flat and others with pinflair glue gel, to make it more realistic i cut the heads off some stems and added back at different angles so that you haven't got them all going the same way...this makes one single flower stamp much more versatile and no one would ever know.  As i wanted some of the stems to be longer and look better in the vase i stamped more stems, cut out and hid the joins behind others and where the sentiment would go - this again makes it much more realistic. 

I added the acetate vase with pinflair glue gel adding it behind where i put the sentiment and some of the flowers.  Sentiment die cut from more pink holographic, lilac pearl & white card and adhered with glue gel.

I don't often colour with alcohol markers as don't have the patience but here i stamped with coloured versafine clair inks and just coloured straight over the top and outside the lines with my marker pens so super simple.  As the stems are so fine i have cut outside the lines to make them studier and hold up better.

This just shows the difference the light stencilling with the ice blue chalk paint made - on the right is the paper as it came, on the left with the stencilling, it just softens it so that it really allows my flowers to stand out.

Items Used:

Paperartsy stamps 'JOFY14', 'JOFY11', Kay Carley 'EKC03'

?Sentiment die?

Studio Light Stencil 'Jenine's Mindful collection' 'Wallpaper pattern'

Andy Skinner chalk paint 'Ice blue'

12x12 Paper from the works

Acetate PET vase

Pink Holographic card from Aldi

Versafine Clair Ink 'warm breeze' 'green oasis'

Alcohol Markers

We have a fabulous pennyblack prize this month from buddlycrafts so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in and be in with a chance of winning

Thank you all for stopping by once again.  Its scary how fast the weeks and months are passing and already the summer holidays are flying by. I hope you all enjoy the rest of August. Emma

Id love to enter the following:

https://beautifulblossomschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/08/beautiful-blossoms-challenge-anything.html

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https://neglectedstuff.blogspot.com/2026/08/neglected-stuff-august-2026-challenge.html - well over 2yrs since used the flower stamps and acetate vases

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https://www.simplyellibelle.com/2026/08/ellibelles-garden-party-no-18-anything.html

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https://craftygalscornerchallenges.blogspot.com/2026/08/challenge-279-anything-goes-woptional.html

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https://paper-rocks-scissors.blogspot.com/2026/08/august-19-challenge.html - used paper for the backround and scissors to cut out all the flowers and foliage

 

WLS Aug #1 - Summer Blossoms

Good Morning everyone and hello August.

As a scheduled post I hope this is 8am August 2nd UK...I don't doubt blogger just the human hitting the buttons😃

Its the first sunday of the month so time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping where the theme for August is

SUMMER BLOSSOMS

My card today uses an old paperartsy mini stamp and an old set of sizzix dies

 

Approx size 5x5.25"

I made my card base from cream linen card and the largest die, then cut next size down from more cream card and embossed with a lacy floral 3d embossing folder, i cut a 'faux' mat from teal card by drawing around the die and cutting out with scissors.  Ive done the same for my topper panel, only difference being that i adhered sepia washi stickers before embossing, these are like inky blots with floral theme text.  I then adhered the topper panel to the card front towards the top.

I stamped the vase of flowers onto more cream card in teal ink and coloured with alcohol markers, cut out and adhered to the topper panel with glue gel. I added touches of diamond stickles glitter glue to the flowers for a little sparkle. Stamped sentiment in the same teal ink,  cut out and added to the bottom

Showing it side on, its stands and balances nicely.  Using the dies like this gives me a bit more interest, versatility and a larger area to work on

and a close up of the flowers, you can see the washi stickers better here too with the text on them, they blend in lovely to the background and embossed well too, i was given them for Christmas

Items Used:

Paperartsy stamps JOFY mini22 & JOFY11 

Sizzix embossing folder by Eillen Hull 'Crochet Mandala' #665915

Sizzix Framelit dies '#658204'

Alcohol markers

Versafine Clair ink 'warm breeze'

CraftUk ltd cream linen 300gsm card

Teal card

? washi stickers ?

Ranger Stickles 'diamond'

We have this lovely prize on offer this month supplied by buddlycrafts so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in with your Summer Blossoms stamped makes

Thank you all for stopping by once again, I really do appreciate it.  I may be a bit tardy commenting as having a few issues but will get around to you all in time.  Big hugs Emmax

WLS July#2 - summertime

Good Morning everyone

Time for some mid month inspiration for We Love Stamping where the theme this month is 

SUMMERTIME

Or we also have the anything goes option as long as you use stamps

Here in England we have alot of old houses and stately homes run by the national trust or English Heritage and lots of people like to visit them for a day out in the summer as they often also have very large gardens to explore as well as enjoy the historic house, some even like to take a picnic and make a day of it.  So my card today is loosely based on this summer outing.

Ive used window/door stamp set from Katzelkraft stamped in grey and die cut into an arch to give the feel of an oldie worldie home, looking at it from the garden through the flowers.  All stamped in grey with soft watercolour colouring onto cream linen card.  I think it ended up with the vibe of the end of a long hot summer when everything feels tardy and bleached out😁

Approx size 5x7"

I stamped the window onto cream linen card in grey versafine clair ink and die cut into an arch.  I added some text stamping in grey around the panel to add texture and feel of stone walls and then softly watercoloured with distress inks.  Lightly inked the edges in grey and matted onto cardbase die cut from more cream linen.

I then stamped the flowers in grey, watercoloured with distress inks, cut out and got arranging.  To make the flowers look more natural I cut the heads of some and glued back on the stems at different angles so that they weren't all facing the same way.  Stamped the quote onto more cream linen and added among the flowers.

Just a close up of the flowers, i added shape to the heads and adhered with pinflair glue gel for dimension which also made it easier to tuck the quote inbetween them.

Version 2 using a different door stamp from the set

Items Used:

Katzelkraft stamps 'les portes'

Katzelkraft stamps 'carpe diem quotes'

aall&create stamps #851 'rise & shine'

Distress Inks - cracked pistachio, evergreen bough, shaded lilac, iced spruce, dried marigold, wild honey, ripe persimmon, 

Versafine Clair Ink 'Morning mist'

Crealies XL arch dies

CraftUk Ltd cream linen card

We have this lovely prize from Lavinia for the lucky winner so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in with your stamped makes and be in with a chance of winning

I hope you are all coping ok with the heat here in the UK, just not use to it are we, my MS hates it so Im hibernating in front of the fans.  The farms are getting desperate for some rain now, I expect when it does start raining it won't know when to stop!  Keep cool everyone and carry on crafting. Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

https://thesisterhoodofcrafters.blogspot.com/2026/07/july-2026-flowers-challenge.html

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https://beautifulblossomschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/07/beautiful-blossoms-challenge-anything.html

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https://neglectedstuff.blogspot.com/2026/07/neglected-july-2026-challenge.html - haven't used all 3 sets of stamps for years

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https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/07/miucb-84-anything-goes-optional-shape.html