Eiffel Tower Tea Set Card

I’ve got to admit, I’ve been holding out on you guys. I often post my cards to Instagram and forget to post them here. Sometimes I don’t even remember to take a photo of them with my good camera and all I have is an iPhone pic! So this summer, I am resolved to find all the cards I’ve made in the last while, about 6 months I think and post them all! We shall see how long this particular resolution lasts!

This card was for the spring Coffee Lovers Bloghop. The Eiffel Tower is by Hero Arts, (I’m so used to Instagram that I almost typed #heroarts!) which I airbrushed in tan to get as close to the colour of the real tower as possible. Did you know that it is painted in an ombre of tan? But metallic tan of course. To save time, I die cut the tea pot and cup (dies by Poppy Stamps) with coaster board so I wouldn’t have to layer so many die cuts. Just snag a few every time you go out to a restaurant or bar! Most die cutters will get through it in just a couple of passes with a shim.

The background is text paper from PTI but it looked too plain so I airbrushed some of the colours from the patterned paper on it. At the bottom I added a fabric doily; sadly most of it was covered by the flowers.  I finished the card with some crystals, silk and paper flowers along with some die cut flourishes.

I wonder if some of you are curious as to why so few of my cards are my usual shabby chic style. There are a couple of reasons. First, many of the stamps I get in my Hero Arts and Simon Says Stamp kits don’t lend themselves to shabby designs. I wish I was like Melissa Philips and I could make a shabby card out of nearly any stamp set! But alas, I lack that particular talent. Also, I’ve been trying to sell my cards and the over-the-top shabby ones I love to make don’t sell very well. I will always be a shabby and elegant designer at heart but I have been enjoying making some cards that aren’t as ornate and girlie. Oh, I guess there is another reason. I’ve been colouring a lot and not finishing those cards! Especially since I’ve participated in the last couple of Kathy Rascoosin’s 30 day colouring challenges. That’s another goal of mine, to turn those coloured panels and backgrounds into cards!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop!

Today I have a card that does double duty! It’s my Coffee Lovers bloghop card AND it’s my Crazy 4 Challenges card. The last challenge of the year as we break for the holidays.

Our Crazy 4 Challenges theme was to use a previous 2017 sketch. I was super happy because sketches are my favourite! I chose the one from May which worked perfectly with the coffee cup I decided to use.

The paper is by Bo Bunny from a year or two ago. I pulled out an older Simon Says Stamp kit (do you guys use your kits up right away? I never do) but decided to go with a new coffee set rather than the one that came with the kit. The stamps are by Neat & Tangled, the Perfect Blend stamps and dies, which are on sale right now. If you like them get them soon as they are retiring.

The background was already stunning but I decided to add some stenciled Nuvo glitter paste swirls. The green/aqua iridescence is very prominent in this paste. It wasn’t looking quite as amazing at the top as it did at the bottom. So, Copic to the rescue!  I added some purple marker over the glitter paste, using the side of the brush tip, which made the glitter match the paper much better. The stencil is by Echo Park and the die cut under the coffee cup is the Quinn Flourish by Memory box. I’m noticing this really needs some more sparkle (can you ever have too much??) so I will add some sequins and maybe some shimmer spray.

Enjoy, Rebecca

Fall Coffee Lovers Bloghop!

Hi! Welcome to my small part of this awesome blog hop!

I’ll be honest, I don’t really like the fall. Well, it’s ok but it means the cold weather is approaching. I’m pretty much allergic to the cold. Not literally but I do have a health condition which means I can’t be out in the cold. But, I do enjoy making fun fall cards! So here is my early fall card. I know daisies aren’t out much anymore but they reminded me of mums which are all over in the fall.

The banner was stamped with Weathered White Antiquities embossing powder by Ranger using a stamp from the Bunting Stamp by Avery Elle. I needed 4 layers to get it opaque enough but I like the textured look it gives. It didn’t stand out quite well enough so I used a Copic marker around the edge to darken it slightly and provide more contrast.

The cup is from the Perfect Blend stamp set by Neat & Tangled. It’s a slightly funky set I really enjoy. The Smile sentiment is from Honey Bee stamps. It includes the one large smile sentiment and lots of smaller add on words and phrases.

Enjoy, Rebecca

Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Welcome to my entry for this season’s Coffee Lover’s Blog Hop. As usual, I went for a shabby theme this time.

I started by choosing a paper pack, the Bloom collection by Maggie Holmes from Crate Paper. She is one of my favourite designers EVER! The gorgeous paper I used for the background has been calling my name for along time but it is VERY busy! So I spread some gesso over the middle 3/4 of the paper. Some of the pattern shows through but not all. Over that I added some light embossing paste through a Prima stencil. They make the best shabby embellishments EVER! I added glitter and embossing powder to the paste. That’s the gold roses you see in the background.

Next I layered a bunch of embellishments and my focal tea cup and saucer (Altenew). Most of the paper pieces are Maggie Holmes embellies, the trims are from my stash, the washi is from Recollections. I hand calligraphed the sentiment with Dr Ph Martins iridescent ink. Last I added a bit of shimmer with a Wink of Stella pen and some gems from Lucy’s Little Things.

Enjoy, Rebecca

Spring 2017 Coffee Lovers Bloghop!

I am just under the wire for posting this! I love making cards for this bloghop that is held once each season, 4 times per year.

I’ve been doing way too many CAS cards lately for my shabby loving heart to be satisfied. So lately I’ve been working my way back to bows, flowers and fancy die cuts.

Isn’t this totally me? I paper pieced the cups using the Simon Says Coffee and Tea stamp set. The lids are Copic coloured to help them match the cups and labels. I added some coloured leaves, flowers, a couple of wood embellies and a little shaped paper clip. Some twine and a sentiment stamped in cute colours (thank you Mme. MISTI) completes this shabby card. Oh and I tucked in an epoxy brad too. It was a bit aged from the sun (I have tons of light in my craft room) but since I was using vintage papers with ivory undertones, it all worked out just fine.

Enjoy, Rebecca

Entered In: Coffee Lovers Bloghop