Birthday Bouquet

Goodness - it feels like a long time since I've posted here, but it's only been a couple of weeks. Funny how, when you go away for a holiday, it seems to make your 'normal' life seem so distant. Anyway, when I came back and saw the colours at CAS Colours and Sketches this week, I knew I had to enter - I just loved them:

Added impetus was provided by Less is More's invitation to use a frame. I'd been wanting to try something a friend and I had discussed - using a square framelit to make a rectangular frame.
This is the card I ended up with:

Made using:

Paper: Stampin' Up's Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink: Stampin' Up's Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive

Stamp: My Favourite Things' Kitschy Kitchen

Dies: Stampin' Up's Stitched Shapes, My Favourite Things' Kitschy Kitchen and I'm not sure which bit of the last one is the name - so - Sizzix/Drop-ins/Stephanie Barnard's Celebrate Sentiments.

Amazing Birthday

An elegant, sophisticated colour scheme from CAS Colours and Sketches' Challenge #213:

led to my first try with a stamp set I've just bought: Stampin' Up's Mixed Borders. I kept the image and sentiment pretty much contained, but couldn't resist adding a few little flowers!
I wondered, when I looked at the photo, whether I'd got the sentiment crooked, but on re-examination of the card itself have decided it's just the angle of the photo.

Made using:
Stampin' Up: Mixed Borders stamp set, Stitched Shape Framelits, Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant and Smoky Slate Paper and Ink, Crushed Curry ink and Candy Dots.

Coffee time!

I used Fab Friday's Challenge #107 to try out a new set of stamps and dies I'm so excited to use: MFT's Kitschy Kitchen. I love the retro feel - it's rivaling Stampin' Up's Totally Trees in my affections.
Instead of a doily, I thought a tablecloth would suit the style of the stamps more.

Made using:
My Favourite Things Kitschy Kitchen stamps and dies
Stampin' Up's Moonlight Designer DSP, baker's twine, Whisper White  paper, Melon Mabo, Early Espresso and Wild Wasabi inks and Stitched Shapes Framelits

Spotlit friendship

I liked the flexibility of Time Out's 3rd birthday challenge: Love and/or Friendship. For me, it helped to have the bit of extra focus provided by the extra challenge of spotlight stamping.
I used Grateful Bunch, this time, because the sentiments suited the challenge (and because I love those flowers!)

Made using:
Stampin Up: Grateful Bunch Stampset, Daisies punch, Whisper White and Pacific Point paper, Basic Black and Pacific Point ink.

Birthday girl

Well, this has never happened to me before, but as soon as I saw Jane's spring colours:

 in CAS Colours and Sketches' Challenge #211, a card sprang fully formed into my mind, so I trundled off immediately to my craft room (aka my daughter's bedroom - but she's left home so I reckon I can claim it) and made it.
I used the just-arrived Custom Tee stampset and T-Shirt Builder Framelits, and returned to older stamps for the background.

Made Using 

Stampin' Up:

Paper: Whisper White, Watermelon Wonder

Ink: Peekaboo Peach, Watermelon Wonder, Cucumber Crush

Stampsets: Custom Tee, Designer Tee, Playful Backgrounds

Framelits: T-Shirt Builder

Delicate Thank You

I had a number of false starts trying to use The Flower Challenge's Guest Designer, Therese's, beautiful card. I enjoyed her video, and learnt a lot from it.

My ideas didn't coalesce until I managed to combine some of her techniques with the sketch from Fusion's current challenge, 'Pretty in Pink'.

I've used elements from both the sketch and the image in this challenge, but haven't followed either exactly. I wanted to use Therese's ombre technique for the sentiment, but didn't have a die cut small enough for the stamp, so sponged card in an ombre style and then cut the banner from it (if you look closely, you can see a little bit of what I was trying for!).

Made Using:
Paper: Stampin' Up Whisper White, Rosie's Vellum and Foil pad (In Style)
Ink: Stampin' Up's Blackberry Bliss, Sweet Sugarplum and Blushing Bride
Other: Stampin' Up copper embossing powder, Banner punch, Thoughtful Banners stamps and Florish Thinlits, and Francheville Adhesive Rhinestones

Birthday Boy

My son's birthday is coming up, and he's been overseas for some years now, so I wanted to make a card that evoked home. I used CAS Colours and Sketches Challenge #210 as a starter:

I've experimented with a couple of things on this card. First, I'm very tentatively trying Copic markers, so used these on the vertical panel. Second, I tried embossing over black stamped images - I didn't want a totally embossed image, but a kind of fill in look. I'm pleased with the results.

The images themselves are New Zealand flora: a ponga koru (the ponga fern is the source of our national symbol, the silver fern, and the koru, or spiral shape has many meanings, among them harmony and new life); the pohutukawa tree (about which I've previously posted) and a kowhai (pronounced caw-fie) blossom. The last will remind my son, I hope, of his sister - they both got a two-blossom kowhai tattoo to represent their relationship before he left.
Made using:
Paper: Stampin' Up's Whisper White, Pacific Point. Kraft paper also - can't remember whose.
Ink: Stampin' Up's Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Basic Black, Real Red.
Embossing: Stampin' Up Gold and Real Red, American Crafts Green Glitter Finish.
Stamps: Stampin' Up Sassy Salutations and Crazy about You (both for sentiments) and craft creations Kiwiana Christmas stamps.
Other - Copic Markers: Robin's Egg Blue, Process Blue and Lapis Lazuli.; washi tape which may be Stampin' Up but I'm not sure.