WLS May#2 - All creatures great and small

 Good Morning everyone

Time for some midway inspiration for We Love Stamping where the theme is 

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

I went with one of the smallest creatures (mouse) last time so this time its one of the largest creatures and this fabulous whale stamp from aall&create, this is another one thats been neglected for a while too so good to get it out.  I have teamed it up with one of my brusho/pixie powder backgrounds - I have a draw full of backgrounds as I often have sessions making them when i don't feel like properly crafting... plus I make such a mess using brushos that its good to get lots made at once and then one lot of clean up!

Card Size approx 5x7" die cut from navy blue cardstock, I felt the rounded corners on this die set picked up on the curve of the whale nicely. I die cut my brusho & pixie powder background to fit the card front, then stamped the whale stamp with blue versaclair ink and then used a circle embossing folder - this to pick up on bubbles in the water. I then lightly inked over the top with chipped sapphire distress ink to just help the embossing stand out a little bit more - not too heavy as i still wanted it to be in the background.  I used posca paint pens on the background stamping to add a little bit extra colour, using yellow and white on some of the hexagons.

I then stamped the whale onto a pinky patterned paper which is not a very realistic colour I know but a nice contrast to the background!  I added some white pen highlights, curved her body and adhered into place with glue gel.

I then die cut some seaweed bits from green holographic card off cuts that were on my desk.  Sentiments stamped onto white with the same blue ink and adhered into place - these sentiments come from a ZinskiArt mermaid set but fit well i feel.

You can make out the mica of the pixie powders in the background better here and the holographic seaweed, both shimmer & dance when the light hits them like the sparkle of sunshine on the water.

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and version 2 which is more muted

Made almost the same way as the first one but this time i started with a background made using oxide inks so very muted.  I die cut an old tim holtz holey die into the background and matted onto silver holographic cardstock.  The whale was stamped onto card that had been sprayed with blue & purple ink and bright pink mica spray.

Hard to really show off the holographic but you can make it out more on the bottom of the photo, with the matt finish of the oxide background it really shimmers and dances - i went with this to give the effect of bubbles in the water

Items Used:

aall&create stamp #390 'sea life'

Funky Fossil 'ZinskiArt' stamp set 'Making waves'

Funky Fossil stamp set 'weird fish'

Sizzix circle embossing folder (very old!)

? Nesting dies

Dawn Bibby die set DBC0371 'Into the deep' embellishment set

Brusho Powders

Cosmic shimmer pixie powder

Chipped Sapphire distress ink

Distress Oxide - shaded lilac, cracked pistachio, tumbled glass & iced spruce

Versafine Clair ink 'Medieval blue'

Silver & green holographic card from Aldi

Navy cardstock

We have these lovely stamps from aall&create as the prize this month so hop over to We love stamping to join in, as well as the all creatures great and small theme we always have the anything goes option as long as you include stamping.

Id love to enter card one into the following:

https://craftrocketchallenges.blogspot.com/2026/05/challenge-136-not-square.html

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https://2craftycrittercrazies.blogspot.com/2026/05/critter-crazy-challenges-110-anything.html

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https://craftyanimals.blogspot.com/2026/05/challenge-105.html

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https://creativefriday.blogspot.com/2026/05/creative-friday-411-jedes-tier-ist.html - all animals permitted

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WLS April #1 - Wakey Wakey spring is here

Happy Easter to you all.

Welcome to April and our theme over at We Love Stamping this month is 

SPRING

Or you can always go with the anything goes option as long as you use stamping

Ive gone a bit outside the box this time and not used a spring designed stamp or my usual spring florals and instead had the idea to use this bear stamp who is waking up and drinking his coffee after coming out of hibernation.  I was also on a mission to use some very old paper pads which had spring colours in them.

Sorry for the bit blurry photos, my camera just kept focusing on the bear as the focal point and not the whole card....after nearly 50 attempts I had to accept defeat and the camera won😒

Approx size 6x6"  I used 300gsm A4 cream linen card, I folded in half and cut to 6" tall, on the right hand side of the front panel I die cut the tulip edge die - just to add interest and also use the die again! 

I took one of the papers from the 6x6 pad to line the inside which peeks through the tulip, i kept it a plain paper so can be written on.  I then cut another paper to fit the front, using the tulip die to get the right curve on the right hand side and also cut a smaller panel of cream card and embossed with a leaf embossing folder - I matted these and adhered to the card front.

I stamped the bear onto more of the cream card used for the base and one of the patterned papers, i coloured the bear with alcohol markers, cut out his pj's and pieced onto the base image.  I die cut this into an oval and matted onto another oval and added to the card front.

Computer printed sentiment 'wakey wakey' & 'spring is here' as the bear comes out of hibernation.

Showing it stood up and the lovely tulip edge 

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I made a few versions so made a little dent in some papers!

A more pink version.  Im quite pleased as managed to use really busy patterned papers that get left in paper pads and by having them as the matt layer behind my embossed panel its not too overwhelming

A more blue and green version, again behind the embossed panel I used a paper which is lovely but the pattern made my eyes go funny....these are double sided papers so I actually die cut the oval heart out of the middle of the patterned paper mat layer as i knew it would be hidden behind the embossed panel - thus making those luxury papers go further

Items Used:

aall&create stamp set #253 'Morning'

Technique Tuesday Tulip edge die

Sizzix leaf embossing folder (very old)

crafters companion 3d lace embossing folder

Paper pads - all very old and some loose left over pages

Ivory linen 300gsm card

Alcohol markers

white gel pen

We have lovely prizes from Lavinia for the lucky winner this month so hop over to We Love Stamping to join in and in with a chance of winning

I hope you all have a wonderful month of April.  Big hugs Emmaxx

Id love to enter card #1 into the following:

https://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/03/challenge-846.html

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https://fabnfunkychallenges.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-634-easterspring.html

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https://daranddiane.blogspot.com/2026/04/double-d-humor-challenge-2026.html - I think my card is humous and tongue in cheek😁

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https://creativeknockouts.blogspot.com/2026/04/568-april-2-embossing-delight-rachelle.html

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https://paper-rocks-scissors.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-15-challenge.html - used paper for the background & bears PJ's and scissors to cut out the bear

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https://sweetstampinchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2026/03/sweet-stampin-spring-or-easter-creations.html

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WLS March - wildlife

Good Morning everyone

This is a scheduled post as Im still away with the fairies so hopefully if I did it correctly this is Sunday morning, the 1st of March😊

Today is the start of a new challenge over at We love stamping where the theme this month is 

WILDLIFE

I was given this fabulous hedgehog stamp set for my birthday last year so made a couple of cards using them and an ombre ink pad.  I am very lucky to have lots of hedgehogs around, always a pleasure to see them each night eating in the porch.

Card size approx 7x5.5"  I made my base card from dark brown card and this lovely nesting die set. I also used cream cardstock for stamping on instead of white.  I first stamped the topper with the 2 hedgehogs, using fallen leaves versa clair ink for the outline and then ombre ink for the solid body filler stamp.  I then stamped the fab sentiment underneath in the brown ink and then die cut this panel.  I wanted a dark brown mat layer but the next size nesting die was too big and would have hidden too much of the background so I drew around the die I used for the topper and cut it out with scissors.

I die cut more cream card size smaller than the base card and randomly stamped the hedgehogs all over it, rotating and turning them as i went.  Any gaps that were slightly too big i used a little heart stamp from the set to fill in with amber oxide ink.  

I cut a strip of copper pearl cardstock and embossed with a knit effect embossing folder, added this to the front and mounted the topper with foam tape.  The pearl embossed strip just adds a little interest and breaks up the background, sadly the photos don't pick up how shimmery it is.

Just a close up on the topper, with my eyes the line art and filler stamps aren't 100% lined up but I think it still works well and stamping onto linen card you rarely get a clean solid fill but it adds a lovely texture which sadly you can't see in the photos.

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and a 2nd version

5x7" white card blank.  This time instead of the stamped background I used a foliage embossing folder onto copper pearl cardstock - its only an A6 folder so where the join was i added a small strip of hedgehog patterned paper which i picked up in france a couple of years ago.

Sadly the photos don't pick up the pearlescence of the copper when the light hits it and the embossing it really dances. 

Items Used:

Sizzix stamp set 665830 'Hedgehugs'

Sizzix leaf embossing folder (very old)

Crafters companion purl/knit embossing folder (old)

Hedgehog printed paper - picked up in france years ago

Centura pearl card

Brown card

Craftuk ltd cream linen card

Versafine Clair 'fallen leaves'

Kaleidacolor inkpad 'cappuccino delight'

We have these fabulous nature themed prizes from aall&create for the lucky winner this month 

So hop over to We love stamping to join in with your stamped creations - if the wildlife theme isn't for you we always have the anything goes option.

Wishing you all a happy March, spring is well underway in Cornwall with all the spring bulbs well in bloom and the primroses brightening up the hedgerows, the birds are singing and beginning to nest build so hopefully we actually get some days without rain now. Emmax

 

WLS Dec #2 - red & green

Good Morning everyone

Its the 1st sunday of the month so its time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping where the theme is 

RED & GREEN

Very apt for the season but you don't have to make a Christmas card, just use these 2 colours but of course we still have the anything goes option as long as you use stamping

I came across a pack of small tags in my stash that are eons old, they came as a mix of kraft card and white so I decided to make an effort to use some of them.  At the same time had this stamp set arrive which I got in a sale from aall&create.  So a batch of CAS Christmas cards were made.  

4x6" card blank which I made for white double sided pearl card and embossed the front with a swirl EF, being 350gsm the card front holds its integrity well even when embossed with a 2d embossing folder, don't think it would work so well with a 3d folder.

I took the white tag and dipped into distress oxide inks id spritzed with water.  Once dry i stencilled on holly leaves with the same ink.  Then i stencilled on snowflakes with cosmic shimmer silver glitter paste which is very shimmery in the light.  I added this tag to the card front - after playing around I found off centre worked better for me.

I stamped the santa onto white, watercoloured with distress inks and cut out.  I added him to the front with glue gel for a little dimension, i also added a little curve to his body for a little shape.  Sentiment stamped onto a small die cut tag and tucked in behind santa to finish.

You can make out the shimmer of the glitter paste snowflakes better here.  I also added frosted lace stickles to the fur on his hat so with that, the glitter paste and pearl card this really shimmer and shines in the light.

Version 2, Made the same but I used the kraft tag as the starting point so used kraft card for my base card as well. Holly embossing folder here.  This one i also rounded the corners on to pick up on the rounded bottom of the tag - I couldn't decide if i preferred them rounded or not so of the 12 versions i made half have rounded corners and half dont!   

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And smaller set of cards using the smaller tags & stamps in the sets 

Dinky 3x5" kraft card.  Made the same way as the bigger ones, just using them landscape and the dinky little santa stamp.  I die cut merry christmas from white pearl card. 

Holly embossing folder - its been lovely digging out my very old embossing folders again.  Being 2d they don't warp the card front too much.

Pearl white version

You can see the shimmer of the glitter paste better here

Im very chuffed with myself to make such flat cards with just the santa added with glue gel for a little dimension.  Hopefully the different textures and finishes add enough interest.  I made 12 bigger ones and 12 smaller ones....personally I find batch making therapeutic as I concentrate on each element of the design once Ive made the 1st version.  This Christmas Im glad I got ahead and made Christmas cards earlier in the year when I was feeling better! 

Items Used:

aall&create stamp set #1216 'Santa's workshop wonders'

Funky Fossil snowflake & holly stencils

Cosmic shimmer glitter paste

Sizzix embossing folders - all very old

papermania kraft & white tags

CraftUK ltd kraft card

White pearl card

Distress Oxide ink - cracked pistachio, evergreen bough

Distress Inks - Fired brick, lucky clover, wild honey, salty ocean, black soot

Hop over to We Love Stamping to join in and be in with a chance of winning this lovely prize by Visible Image

Thank you for stopping by once again.  Last week was very wet, wild and windy here in Cornwall so hopefully the coming week is much calmer weatherwise for us all to venture out for that Christmas shopping😁   Whatever you get upto I hope its a good week for you all. Emmax

Id love to enter my first card into the following:

https://cyhtp.blogspot.com/2025/12/anything-goes-with-twist-of-celebrate.html

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https://inkspirationalchallenges.blogspot.com/2025/12/inkspirational-challenge-356-use.html - ive used snowflake stencil with glitter paste 

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https://sweetstampinchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/its-christmas.html

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https://scscards.blogspot.com/2025/12/december-2025-reds-and-greens.html

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https://tuesdaytaggers.blogspot.com/2025/12/its-all-about-santa.html

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