June WLS #1 - close to nature

Good Morning everyone

Time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping with the theme this month 

CLOSE TO NATURE

or we have the anything goes option as long as you use stamping

Its not often I buy a craft magazine these days but did recently for lots of hospital visits.  It came with this set of beautiful floral and foliage stamps which Ive used to make my background design

Card size approx 8x8"  - Made by die cutting 2 of the largest fancy circle dies from white card and scoring about an inch down on one and adhered to the back of the unscored one which gives a hinge.  This also means you get the whole of the shape as the card front and its not missing a section where the spine would be.

 I die cut a piece of smooth white card to size and then stamped the images with different colours of versafine clair inks all over it.  I then die cut it into frames using the nesting dies, I skipped one layer so that they were wider frames.  I die cut a piece of pinky purple mirror card and adhered the largest outside frame with 2mm foam tape, then the next size frame with 1mm foam tape, then the next layer I adhered flat and then the smallest middle layer I adhered with 2mm foam tape again - making sure to line up the pattern. 

I die cut the sentiment from pearl teal card and adhered to a white die cut panel and added to the front.  I then die cut 2 layered butterflies with the pinky mirror & teal pearl card and added to finish. 

Showing it stood up side on, to help it stand nicely I cut a small sliver off the bottom of the back panel.  You can see the layers better here, the mirror card does just show through and catches the light.  I quite often layer cards like this just for interest and fun - it works equally well using patterned paper.

As usual taking photos of mirror card a nightmare, it is a beautiful purply pink.  Using the teal ink and card helps break up the colour.....normally im allergic to pink😁

The inside of my card.  I die cut cut paper in co-ordinating colours to the front, on the blue one I stamped some of the images to tie it in with the front. 

Items Used:

Stamps from 'simply cards & papercraft' magazine issue 268

Creative Expressions Sue Wilson sentiment die

Creative Craft Products 'large stretch label' (circle dies)

Butterfly dies

Versafine Clair inks 'warm breeze' 'purple delight' 'monarch' & 'glamorous'

Craft Consortium mirror card 'lilac'

Jellybean teal pearlised card

CraftUk ltd smooth white A4 card

We have this beautiful stamp as the prize this month supplied by Buddly Crafts - a fabulous online craft store, well worth a visit.

so do hop over to

 We love stamping

to join in and see what the rest of the DT came up with for our CLOSE TO NATURE theme

Thank you all for stopping by once again. Ive had a quiet week, snoozing and crafting - just what the doctor ordered so feeling much more human now😁  Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

https://www.simplyellibelle.com/2025/05/i-spy-with-my-little-eye-at-least-one.html

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https://www.simplyellibelle.com/search/label/Ellibelle%27s%20Garden%20Party

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https://craftygalscornerchallenges.blogspot.com/2025/05/challenge-267-fill-in-blank-fancy.html -

  Fancy shaped card

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https://thesisterhoodofcrafters.blogspot.com/2025/05/51425-flowers.html

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https://cutitupchallenges.blogspot.com/2025/05/cut-it-up-challenge-331-anything-goes.html

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In the garden

Good Morning everyone, i hope you had a good weekend - boy did it rain!

DL card (approx 4x8")  I cut a scalloped edge (yep its not very even/straight - i blame the heat when making it😀) I then got stamping with my paperartsy flower stamps & carabelle Zinouk in the garden to create a scene.  I added a little water colour and doodled in some ground for them to stand on.  I wanted the middle sunflower to have a longer stem to when i stamped it i didn't ink the very end of the stem so i then took a fine liner pen to extend it to make a nice tall sunflower.  I stamped some dragonflies.  

I splashed some of the inks i used to colour my images onto the background too - i know im doing that alot at the moment but for me personally it just softens all the white without having too busy a background.

I then stamped the flower heads and zinouk onto white card, i then watercoloured the heads with wink of stella pens so they have a lovely shimmer.  I then cut the coloured flower heads out, using a craft knife to cut around the inside design part, i then used glue gel to decoupage them over the ones on the main panel.

I cut Zinouk out and left her uncoloured so she stands out in a bright colourful garden, i gently curved her to add shape and attached with glue gel.  I did give her more of a smile with a fine liner pen as she is a bit moody otherwise😀

You can see the depth on my flowers better here, i added a piece of paper similar colours to those on the front to the inside after cutting it with the scalloped edge die.

Items Used:

Paperartsy stamps Zinskiart ZA38

Carabelle Stamps SA60158 'Zinouk du jardin'

Lavinia dragonfly stamps

Clearly besotted sentiment stamp

MFT scalloped edge die

Wink of stella pens

CraftUK smooth white card

Ombre pattern paper

Thank you for all stopping by once again.  I hope its a good week for you. Hugs Emmax

Id love to enter the following:

https://creativefingerschallengeblog.blogspot.com/2020/06/challenge-189.html

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http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/2020/06/seize-birthday-193-watercoloring_18.html

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Autumn Leaves

Good Morning all.  Hopefully this post has worked as ive schelduled it.

Its time for a new challenge over at Cardz4guyz with the theme being

AUTUMN/FALL LEAVES

So once again i used the stamp set that came with creative stamping magazine issue 60.  

XL DL card made by folding white linen A4 card in half lengthwise.   Using a multicolour ink pad i stamped the 3 different leaf images onto white linen card. Once dry i die cut into wonky stitched circles and mounted onto circles die cut from dark maroon cardstock.  I cut maroon and white card to fit my base, i used the same ink and the splatter stamp around the edges to tie it in with my leaf toppers and attached to the card front. 

I added my leaf topper circles to the base with foam tape.  I then added lots of little enamel drops around my leafs with viva paper pens in dark red, yellow & orange to just add some interest.   

Close up of the middle circle, i used black ink to stamp one of the quotes from the stamp set.  It says 'Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower'

 Items used:

Leaf stamps - creative stamping mag issue 60

Kaleidacolor rainbow ink pad 'cappuccino delight'

Viva paper pens - red, yellow & orange

Wonky stitched & plain circle dies

White linen card - craftUk

Maroon cardstock - payper box

Please do hop over to cardz4guyz to see what everyone else comes up with for this great theme and to join in. 

I hope you all have a good week. Emma

Go Green - Upcycling

Good Morning everyone.

Its time for a new challenge over at Make My Monday,

 the theme this fortnight is:

GO GREEN

Upcycling, recycling, reuse

So i had a dig around and came up with used toothpaste tubes, cat food tins, cat food boxes and plastic packaging and had fun making this wall hanging.  I decided it would be good to go with a nature theme as we can all do our own little bit to help nature and the planet by recycling and reducing our use of plastics and packaging. 

8x8 mountboard panel for the base.  I covered the base with a couple of patterned papers.  I then added a panel of corrugated cardboard with some of the front torn off to reveal the corrugation and texture and added to the base. 

After preparing my recycled items - see below for full details  I arranged them to my liking, 

I added a feather to my birds wing and a couple of others amid my die cut greenery, as well as the foiled foliage i added die cut ferns.

A close up, i added twine in the background for more texture, buttons to my plastic packaging flowers.  Chit Chat stickers used for the title 

'Cherish Everyday  -  Beautiful World'

This shows my used items, 2 toothpaste tubes, ive turned one over so that you can see that although plastic tubes they are foil lined - they are 2 different brands aquafresh & oral B so i think most modern plastic toothpaste tubes are lined, just cut off the top and bottom and cut along one side, wash and they are ready to be used, the cat food tin is foil, plastic packing - some crafty dies came in that and then the cardboard cat food box, has a lovely brown tone to the inside.

This shows them die cut, the leaf swirls are toothpaste tube, the leaf from the foil tin, plastic flowers and the brown bird from the cat food box.  I used my old Sizzix bigz dies to cut them all.

The plastic package flowers, toothpaste & foil all take alcohol inks beautifully to colour them, you can get a lovely marble like effect which adds more interest to them instead of flat colour.  The cat food tin foil is brilliant as you can mold it into shape. 

Items Used:

Sizzix Bigz dies - Flower Layers #5, birds, vine w/leaves, fern

Tattered lace fern dies

Tim Holtz chit chat stickers

Tim Holtz alcohol inks - various colours

I hope i have inspired you to maybe look at some of that 'rubbish' we all produce and think of another way to use it.  Please do hop over and see what the rest of the team has come up with and also what all those entering come up with over the fortnight.  I think this is going to be a good challenge, lets all do a little for our beautiful world.  

Make My Monday

Thank you as always for stopping by and all your comments last week. I hope you all enjoy your bank holiday Monday and the sun shines. Emma

Daisy Mixed Media Canvas

Good Morning all, i hope you all enjoyed your weekend. 

Today i am sharing this Mixed Media Home Decor Canvas that i made for my mum for Mother's Day. 

Box Canvas 16x6" (40x15cm)  After doing the brick background (see below for details) I die cut lots of daisies from white card, made them up, added yellow stamens & florists wires for their stems.  I then die cut various foliage from brusho and inked cardstocks in different shades of greens and ferns from kraft card.  I then slowly built up the layout.

The top half.  I added a lovely big bee metal charm ive had in my stash for years.

The bottom half, i added more foliage and ivy in the bottom as you naturally find at the bottom of a wall

Just close ups. Once it was all stuck on i sealed everything with a matt sealant to keep it all fresh. 

The wall - first i added texture paste through a stencil and once dry i added black acrylic paint over the whole canvas.  Once dry i put the stencil back over and added red and orange starlight paints to the bricks, i found doing it this way kept the black between the bricks better.  I then added touches of green paint to give a kind of mossy effect once everything is added on top. 

Items Used:

Tattered Lace fern dies

Joanna Sheen & Brittania Ivy dies

Heartfelt Aster die set

Stitched Daisy dies

Tim Holtz foliage die

Brick stencil

Imagination crafts starlight paints

Golden Texture paste

Cracked Pistachio & twisted citron oxide inks

Brusho's

Thank you for stopping by and all your visits and comments last week and congratulations on the arrival of my new niece. I hope you all have a good week. Emma 

Vet Retirement Card

Good Morning everyone, 

I hope you all had a good Easter holiday and if like me you were enjoying tasty French strawberries in the sun then you had a lovely time.

Well over night we have had kittens, well in the last hour, second one just born, mother is settled down in the living room, only problem here is that its not my cat😊.  After this little, well her tummy was massive was pestering me all day yesterday, last night she got very insistent on coming in when i suddenly thought she is in labour, so settled her down in a box and quiet corner for the night, she had the first one about an hour ago.  Madam Tilly is being very good and on guard duty now as my other 2 cats aren't too happy! 

So Happy Spring.

Our farm vet is retiring so today i am sharing the card my dad asked me to make for him, of course it had to contain lots of animals. 

8x8 card blank.  Brusho sky and grass background.  Lots of dies cut in various different colour cards to build up the scene.  I forgot to take a photo of the insert which i managed to get more animals onto using digi images, cows and donkeys.  David was very good to the family donkey over the years. Computer printed sentiment matted onto dark chocolate cardstock.  Most of it is this dark chocolate, only the bench is black. 

Close up, the chocolate Labrador 

Close up, of course had to be a ginger Tom.

Items used as best as i can remember!:

Memory box dies - cat, dog, squirrels, flying birds, resting birds, park bench, fench, tree, 

Impression Obsession - clouds, rabbits, tree blossom flowers, 

Cheerylynn - grass

Sizzix - sun

Spellbinders de-lites - small tree

You may also like:

male countryside scene 1

male countryside scene 2

Fathers day card

Thank you for stopping by and looking and all your comments and Easter Wishes last week. Guess my day will be spent trying to track down this cats owner!  Emma