Our Simple Background Challenge Projects

 

Good Sunday Morning Ladies, 

Well Ladies,  Paul and I popped to our nearest (expensive) garden centre yesterday afternoon as I just wanted a couple of parsley plants, I could not believe the flooding,  I knew it had rained but my goodness the river was across three huge farmers fields 

This was last time it flooded, a few weeks ago after all the snow etc, it is currently over the red lifebuoy on the willow tree !!!

Just for comparison this is the same tree and the river Thames at its usual level.  

The roads have so much standing water too  the ground is so boggy and water logged it has nowhere to go.  The Wildlife park limited its tickets this weekend too, they have a tarmac car park that fits around 300 cars, the parking then goes onto an overflow car park which is in a field,  bearing in mind they have thousands of visitors,  but they couldn't use the field as cars would have got stuck,  added to the fact that Reggie is very precious about his grass!! 

Today Paul is hoping to do a few garden jobs, depending on the weather of course, I need to tidy my craft room as I had a marathon card making session on Thursday,  I got so stressed over a card Lucy asked me to make that I didn't finish it till after 10pm!!  I was dying on my feet, it's taken me the last couple days to recover!  I daren't share the photo of my desk!!! Nothing much planned other than that, I hope that you are all having a more exciting one!  

Let's look at all the cards you made for Karen's 'Simple Background' Challenge.... ( i will only add Description of this weeks makes) 

Karen 

Karen's Description:

Here’s a very simple background - 5 embossed lines, Which I turned into this Looks so much better in real life.

A shame it doesn’t show as much in the photo

Used SW poinsettia and Tim Holtz foliage I used a Craftipotential sentiment heat embossed in gold.

Karen I love your gorgeous clean and simple embossed background, those poinsettias look like they are velvet!! The colour is gorgeous too.

What a varied selection of cards from the past couple of weeks, all with super simple, yet very effective backgrounds.

Thank you so much for suggesting Challenge and for the lovely cards you made for it too XXX

Lilian 

Lilian's Description:

 Here is my card for this week. Stamp is stampin up wild flower meadow. Die cuts are Tim Holtz wild flowers stems 1. Background is ecoline pens.

Lilian the background you have created with your Ecoline pens is stunning!!! It's so bright and vibrant and works perfectly with the other products you have used.  You have really inspired me to try my Ecolines for backgrounds.

I can really see how much you have enjoyed this challenge, your cards are amazing.  Thank you so much XXX 

Maria

Maria's Description:  

I used a stencil by Sweet Dixie - Retro Bubbles and some Cracked Pistachio

Distress Ink. Happy Birthday in the same colour.   

Hope you like it.

Maria I love your latest card, that stencil is so 'retro '  it reminds me of sixties fashion!!  Cracked Pistachio is such a lovely colour, the sentiment works perfectly too.

What an Incredible display of cards Maria, all simple backgrounds but the finished cards are fantastic,  thank you so much for supporting the challenge my lovely XXX 

Sonia

Sonia's Description:

Card 1:  I spritzed some watercolour card with the Lavinia mystical mica sprays - unfortunately the picture doesn’t show the sparkle! I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment (can’t remember the brand) and die cut some stars.

Card 2:  My attempts at the die cut printing didn’t turn out too well, so I actually stamped with the metal die and printed. I used a Memory Box die. Sentiment to be added.

Card 3:  I stamped a Wow Embossing stamp with Tumbled Glass and Shaded Lilac distress oxides, spritzing with water before stamping. The ‘Hugs’ die is BirchPress Designs, butterfly by Tim Holtz and sentiment from The Stamp Market.

Wow Sonia!  3 fantastic cards, 3 completely different looks too, they are all so lovely,  those new Mists from Lavinia give amazing coverage,  more than i thought, I loce those 2 colours together and what you did with the card, it would make a great mam card too. 

Your die cut printing hadms given you a beautifully subtle background,  such a pretty colour too.

Card 3 is a real Sonia card, I has 'your' butterfly,  Kraft card and an amazing sentiment,  I love tbat background too!  

You have given us a huge variety of cards, journal pages and covers for this Challenge Sonia, thank you so much XXX

Sue

Some lovely cards,  a with perfectly simple Backgrounds Sue, that circular sentiment die is so versatile,  it works as well on a Masculine card as it does on a girly card with a simple piece of lace around it.  Two beautiful flower cards too.  Thank you so much my lovely XXX 

Janet

Janet's Description:

The card is made using everything from LABLANCHE 'LILAC' KIT. The little flowers are also LABLANCHE and made from Newspaper.

Such a pretty LaBlanche card Janet, the girl looks so angelic, a simple yet stunning design.

I added another of your cards that had a simple embossed background that looks anything but simple when embellished with a few bits and pieces.  Thank you so much my lovely for sharing your card, I hope you are soon feeling up to crafting again soon XXX

Brenda

Brenda's cards from a couple weeks ago, that stunning poppy card couldn't have a simpler background design but my goodness that lightly coloured square draws your eye in and frames the poppy border perfectly.

The same goes for those adorable girls, the perfectly inked frame just highlights both of those gorgeous, perfectly coloured girl stamps.

It's so lovely to see you crafting again Brenda, thank you so much for sharing your cards XXX

*****************************

Ladies I know I say it every week but look at that incredible display of artwork, all completely different representations of the same theme!! You are all amazing and I love you all dearly ❤🧡💛

Have an amazing Sunday, 

Love & hugs to all of you,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Mixed Up Saturday

 

Good Saturday Morning Ladies, 

I hope that you are all having a lovely start to the weekend,  nothing much happening here, we may go to a garden centre if the weather is decent, those places are no fun in the rain. 

Sue has kindly written us a Magazine Review so lets have a look .....

Simply Cards & Papercraft Issue 242

Simply cards & papercraft issue 242 has a flower foam set this month with foam, ball shaping tool, floral stencils and sentiment stamps.

This article has some lovely cards and clear instructions on how to make the flowers. The Congratulations floating flowers card is one I love and will be making.  Here are several different gift boxes, including the beautiful wedding cake, all decorated with the foam flowers. Templates for them can be downloaded.

The Masterclass is on Faux-layered die-cuts this month. This can as simple as slightly offsetting one die cut behind another identical one. Cutting pieces out of a die-cut and replacing it with a different shade or colour is another example. It certainly helps us to get more out of our dies.

In-depth guide is for to Pendant photo cards this month. 

This is a gorgeous idea for showing off the newest member of the family, the bride and groom, your pets, or anything that is asking to be shared. The guide shows how it is easy to make this photo card.

Using the foam flowers as the focal point on your cards is shown here. Some of the digital papers and toppers are also used. 

These quilled flowers look so pretty. The pieces of paper are not rolled up but by following a template and standing up the paper pieces on their sides after they have been cut to the correct length. I haven’t tried this type of quilling but will be as I love the look. 

As always let me know if you have any questions. 

Take care.

 Sue xx

Thank you so much Sue for another amazing review,  there are some stunning cards in thise features , the colours of the flowers are beautiful,  just what we all need to see right now.

I have to say that Card Making & Papercraft magazine have really upped their game as far as gifts and content is concerned and it gives the bigger more expensive magazines a run for their money!  As always I truly appreciate the time abd effort you put into writing the review XXX

Shopping 

Sonia

Sonia treated herself to a little Lavinia Stamps haul,  those stencils are amazing,  great size too, love your stamp choices too, those colour mists look very interesting with the metallic tints, I can't wait to see what you create, thank you for sharing XXX

My Shopping 

This is the stamp set I have been wanting for a while,  so decided to just get it,  I am so pleased I did, the Tim Holtz sentiments were a bargain from Fb destash group £5 posted !! To good to pass up!

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend, 

Love and hugs to all, 

Sandra

xxxxxx