A warm welcome to all my visitors,

Thank you for taking the time to come and look at my blog, I really do appreciate it. I would love you to leave me a comment, even if it’s just to say Hi. It means I can come visit you!

All my designs are original, so copyrighted to me. If I have been inspired by someone elses work, I have named them in the post, and where able, I have provided a link.

Please feel free to use my designs for inspiration, I just ask you to credit me, and provide a link back to my blog.

Thanks, Shaz XX

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Clean & Simple- Easy Birthday cards

So, some real crafting at last! These are the results of todays first efforts for a while.  While I've been unable to do anything, I discovered Pinterest! I knew about it, but hadn't actually investigated it before. I discovered a wealth of amazing cards on various boards, and best of all- I don't have to physically store my 'inspiration' pictures anywhere. Anyway, I saw a lot of ' CAS'- Clean & Simple cards- and decided this would be worth having a go at. One thing I want to do, having learnt how life, and accidents, can seriously get in the way of crafting, is to get myself a stock of 'everyday' birthday cards. I constantly find myself being caught unawares, as it were, by too many birthdays creeping up on me. So if I can get myself a batch done, I won't find it so much of a struggle to do the special cards, or cards I get ordered. I hope.



So these one layer cards-they were actually really easy to do! I think it took longer to decide on the colours than to do the card. This one is various dye inks (Adirondacks, Distress, Marvys) in yellows & oranges, with the images stamped in Adirondack Espresso.



First off, I tried it out on some scrap paper, just to get a feel for the process.

 To start with I made up some post-it note masks, which I then trimmed along the top edge with a deckle blade. I stuck two post-its side by side, and made two pairs for the card, as I started off with topfold DL sized cards.

 I masked my paper, and I found it easiest to line the masks up with the lines on my cutting mat, so I knew they were straight.I started sponging on various blues.


  Then I started to add a few patches of 'background' - a crackle stamp here, in slightly darker shades of blue than I had sponged with.
Next I used a Paperartsy stamp, which I inked up with a darker blue, then smudged off some of the colour. I also stamped it off first, and used the second impression, so it was light, then did the same with a script stamp.

Random overstamping with various foliage stamps, and a flock of birds. All going well, then I dropped my inkpad- thats the square on the left. Have you noticed a dropped inkpad always lands ink side down!

Anyhow, I tried out another couple of strips.


Exactly the same process, just changed the colours and stamps. I decided I quite like these, although there were a few problems- I thought the bottom one too busy, and I had that ink pad mark, but I have a plan for these, even though they are on scrap paper.






So onto the cards then.



Sponged with yellows & oranges.

Overstamped with grasses, willow & birds, all by Inkylicious.

Next one up was yellows & browns. I added some mesh, then a flourish or two.




Changed the format slightly, I took the mask off, and stamped a Stampscapes tree on the right. I also stamped some of the tree on the left, before I unmasked.That flock of birds is in there again, lol.





Last one of the day, I did in yellow & greens. The  dandelion heads are Inkylicious again, and the little dragonfly is part of a Lavinia Stamps set.







I've stamped them all with Happy Birthday, but you could leave that off, and stamp them up with whatever sentiment you needed at the time.









The three little blue flowers were never intended to be there- I wasn't concentrating, and didn't realise I had a little blue ink on the edge of my Happy Birthday stamp. I think it was Anna Griffin who said' there are no mistakes in card-making, only embellishments!'

There are some other cards in the first picture, and I will blog those tomorrow, as they were done differently.

8 comments:

Myrna said...

Shaz
These are so pretty.
Myrna

MaggieC (Silvercrafter) said...

Lovely cards, Shaz and the colours are just right to cheer us up with all our rotten weather. Maybe Spring is on its way. I have noticed that thing about ink pads, just like the bread always lands butter side down. And have you noticed that if you have just finished a good background, you then get a huge splodge right in the middle. Aren't butterflies and tree branches wonderful? Just right for masking problems. Take care with this new snow that is falling tonight. xx Maggie

Alison Scott said...

Lovely cards. Great for standby emergency cards.

Anonymous said...

Lovely cards. I used a similar technique to make some quick Christmas cards and was quite pleased with how they turned out. Just changing the ink colour made quite a difference. I'm sure sponging that colour on is exactly what the physio meant:)
Lynn x

Almo said...

I love these cards Sharon so clean and so effective fab colours. Happy WOYWW Hugs Mo x

Mary said...

WOW and that about says it all....Great job.

scrappymo! said...

I agree with the above poter...Wow!
I had a little chuckle about the teensy flowers. When i craft with my grandkids, the room is so quiet...you can hear their breathing. Suddenly you hear a sharp intake of breath and then a painful "Oh no! I've ruined it" I always answer with that quote, now they tell thir Mum the same thing if she crafts with us! teehee

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

ooo Shaz, luffly!
I did enjoy this post - love real life stories :D Shaz in oz.x

An End of an era

An end of an era

I write this with a broken heart, that only time can heal My beautiful, wonderful wifelet Shaz (Silverwolf) passed away peacefully in the ea...