New Year's Resolutions

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, mostly because I never stick to them.  This year will be different.  I have made only one resolution - to spend less time thinking about making cards (and browsing the web for inspiration) and more time actually making them!  This will, I hope, force me to experiment a bit more, to use more of my stash & to be prepared to take the risk that something might not work.  I'm also hoping it will mean that I will be less last-minute with my card making, but maybe I'm expecting too much!

So here are this week's experiments, and I decided to use the new Sizzix stamps my husband bought me for Christmas.  The first two cards were inspired by Ali Reeve when I saw her demoing on Create & Craft a few days ago.  To make the inky backgrounds I made masks from copy paper & inked through them.  The butterflies were stamped & masked then coloured with a Lilac Promarker and the finished image was mounted onto dark purple cardstock.

Another inking & masking experiment.  The butterfly was "watercoloured" with a Sakura Silver Stardust pen.

Cardstock: Xerox Colotech Plus, Coredinations

Stamps: Sizzix, Imagination Crafts

Ink: Adirondack Cool Peri, Memento Tuxedo Black

I can't remember where the inspiration for the third card came from.  The ink sponging didn't turn out quite the way I planned but I decided that it wasn't a completely unsuccessful experiment & it would do just fine.  The image & greeting are on a strip of card which was embossed across the top & bottom, but unfortunately the photo doesn't show the embossing detail.   I used a strip of card left over from another card & it cunningly hides an earlier failed experiment to sponge directly onto the card!

Cardstock: Xerox Colotech Plus, Coredinations

Stamps: Sizzix, Papermania Lucy Cromwell range

Ink: Adirondack Cool Peri & Eggplant, Distress Spun Sugar, Memento Tuxedo Black

It's Elementary . . . .

. . . that I'd make my husband's 50th birthday card with a Sherlock Holmes theme; to say he is an avid fan would be a huge understatement.  I downloaded a copyright-free Sherlock image from the web then used Craft Artist 2 Professional to create the "smoke", making the number 50s smaller as they went further from the image and applying a fading transparency effect to make the smoke effect fainter.  The backing paper was also created in Craft Artist 2 Professional using the stamp mode.

Although creating the "smoke" was quite time-consuming, I was pleased with the finished effect and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to.  And the best part is, my husband loved it!

Image free from internet, "smoke" and backing paper created in Craft Artist 2 Professional.

Font Piranesi It BT.

Putting on the Glitz!

My nephew's girlfriend turns 21 tomorrow; she's a very pretty, girlie girl who - like most of her generation - loves shoes.  She also loves Cath Kidston so, although this isn't a Cath Kidston paper, I thought it was a similar style.  As I've had a couple of weeks off work over Christmas I had the luxury of time to play with my Craft Robo, so I downloaded a shoe font from the internet, tidied up the graphic in the Silhouette Studio software & cut the shoe out.  The greeting was produced in Craft Artist 2 Professional.

Although the shoe turned out exactly how I wanted it to, the completed card wasn't quite how I imagined it for a few reasons: one, I couldn't find matching cardstock for matting & layering so I had to improvise by using white linen card coloured with Promarkers & the ink seemed to dry patchy for once; two, the layout wasn't what I had intended as my first attempt didn't work out; three, I felt the greeting needed a bit more oomph but (as usual!) ran out of time.

Still, I'm not unhappy with the finished result & I hope Kasanita likes it, too.

Paper: My Mind's Eye Pretty Please

Stick on gems: Hobby House

Gemstone key: from Crafts4&2Do, St Helens