Christmas Shaker

As it’s Monday it’s time again to set my friend Linda a Christmas card challenge. This week’s theme is to make a shaker card. I really love making shaker cards but don’t love taking photos of them! It’s hard to avoid catching lots of reflections from the acetate in photos but here goes anyway:)

I started by making a background with alcohol inks and blending solution. A mix of sequins went in between the background and front of the shaker element.

Die - Pierced Rectangle Frames (My Favorite Things) & Bristol Snowflake (Memory Box)
Gems - Snowflake Gems (Hero Arts)

I added a pretty die cut snowflake and a snowflake gem both of which Linda had sent me.

I was going to leave the card front without a sentiment but in the end added a sparkly die cut sentiment.

Die - Pierced Rectangle Frames (My Favorite Things), Fancy Cut Christmas (Hero Arts) & Bristol Snowflake (Memory Box)
Gems - Snowflake Gems (Hero Arts)

I’m afraid I didn’t get to make a card last week for Linda’s challenge or a matching tag to go with today's card but hopefully in the next few days I’ll play catch up on my card and tags. Here you can find the fun challenge Linda has set for this week.

Scramble Shaker Card

Over in the Hero Arts Flickr Group last night LaVon hosted a fun Scramble in which we had to make a card based on one of these three sketches.

It turned out to be a real scramble for me as I started the Scramble a bit late because I was yapping on the phone. Then after scrapping the first card I started, I decided to make a shaker card. I don't know what or if I was thinking as I'm slow at making shaker cards even at the best of times not to mind when there is a time limit!

Stamps (Hero Arts) - Playful Animals & Birthday Messages

Anyway I started by embossing the mini card base I made and then set to work on the shaker element. I used scraps of blue and green card for the sky and grass. My Mam gave me a bag with a lovely mix of sequins a while ago and I used some of these as they are pearlescent white with hints of pink. After stamping the pig twice, cutting and colouring, I popped one of the heads on foam pads for dimension. The sentiment was embossed badly and in a last minute hurry as you can no doubt see from the stray flecks of powder!

I'm submitting this card into a2z Scrapbooking's September Challenge.

Tropical Birthday

Hero Arts has a great Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge this month so when I had a bit of time to get inky this morning I just had to join in on the fun.

With the card I made I (accidentally!) managed to cover two of the lines - circles, background stamp & watercolour and background stamp, birthday theme & die cutting.

Stamps (Hero Arts) - Tropical Background & Messages with Flourish
Die (Hero Arts) - Delicate Butterfly Fancy Die

I started by applying distress inks (spiced marmalade, worn lipstick & barn door) to the background stamp, spritzed with water and applied this to cream card. After the panel had dried I stamped the sentiment, die cut the opening and adhered some acetate at the back of the panel. The bright pink backing card for the shaker was also stamped with the same background stamp but because it was stamped in pink on pink it has left a very subtle pattern. After adding a mix of sequins and putting together the shaker panel I adhered it to a cream card base. My good friend Linda sent me the pretty butterfly - thanks again, Linda:)

I heat embossed the butterfly twice using enchanted gold embossing powder and used foam pads to attach it to the card.

My Mam is doggy sitting at the moment so this morning I brought Max, our hairy friend, for a ramble up the hill behind my Mam's house. Here are some photos I snapped along the way.

Enjoy your weekend!

Trick or Treat Shaker

I finally had a little time to stamp earlier today and I thought it would be fun to join in on Lawnscaping's Critters Galore Challenge.

For my critter I decided to use the bat from Lawn Fawn's cute Trick or Treat set and made a Halloween shaker card. Sorry my photo isn't great - I always find it hard to avoid getting reflections on the acetate layer on shaker cards!

I embossed the sentiment on a piece of green card and die cut the label shape. To make the shaker I added some lovely green sequins my friend Trinh (thanks again, Trinh) sent me and an embossed Waltzingmouse Stamps image (Very Vintage labels No. 10) which I cut out and used as my frame. The Lawn Fawn bat was cut out and coloured with ProMarkers and I couldn't resist adding a couple of googly eyes before perching him on top of the shaker. To finish I just added a strip of lace to the side of the card.



Stamps - Trick or Treat (Lawn Fawn) & Very Vintage labels No. 10 (Waltzingmouse Stamps)

The last time I made a shaker I had a problem with the little bits inside the shaker sticking to the sides of the foam pads but I saw a tip somewhere which suggested rubbing talc or flour on the sticky parts before assembling the shaker. It really seems to have worked well but I'd love to hear if any of you have any other suggestions as it took a while to get rid of all the traces of flour!

Butterfly Hello

I enjoyed making this shaker card the other day so wanted to make another one today using a pretty Memory Box die (thanks again, Linda!) and a couple of Hero Arts stamps.

Die - Isabella Butterfly (Memory Box)
Stamps - Be Happy & Messages With Flourish (Hero Arts)

I started by making a black card and embossing the sentiment. After cutting the butterflies out of a panel, I layered a strip of acetate to the back of the panel and partially adhered the butterflies' bodies. A coat of glossy accents was applied to the bodies and the stamped butterfly trails were added.

To make the colourful backs for the butterflies, I applied various distress inks (broken china, tumbled glass, mowed lawn, shabby shutters, spiced marmalade, worn lipstick and spun sugar) to white card and splattered/spritzed the card with water. Clear glass beads were trapped between the acetate and backing layer. After adding the panel to the card, I adhered strips of baker's twine to the sides.

I'm submitting this card into Simon Says Stamp Let's Be Clear Challenge ( I used clear beads, acetate, glossy accents and clear stamps) and Virginia's View Die Cut Challenge.

I Ruff You Shaker Card

I haven't made a shaker card in a long time but wanted to make one using two cuties from the super cute Critters at the Dog Park set by Lawn Fawn.


Stamp - Lawn Fawn Critters at the Dog Park
Dies - Lawn Fawn grassy border and Spellbinders picot edge circles

To start with I die cut a circle of blue card, stamped the sentiment and die cut the grass piece using Lawn Fawn's grassy border die. After stamping and cutting out the dogs, I coloured them with ProMarkers and added a few dotty highlights with a white pen before tucking them in behind the grass. Then I punched out lots of hearts and added the top layer of acetate and a ring of card to contain the hearts.

I die cut two Nestabilities picot edge circles to make the card base, scored a line across the the back circle about 1/4 inch down from the top of the solid base. Adhesive was added above the scoreline before sticking it to the card front. I'm submitting this card into Simon Says Stamp Shake It! Challenge and Virginia's View Die Cut Challenge.

I wish I could say this is a photo from my own garden, but it's a photo from the 18th century walled garden in Russborough House which I visited with my Mum yesterday.

The house isn't far from us and I've visited it many, many times over the years but this was the first time I've ever seen the walled garden open. Seemingly it's open every Wednesday and Saturday between April and September - it's well work a visit. We had a lovely time strolling around the garden looking at the various trees, shrubs, flowers and fruits. The walled garden is being brought back to its former glory by a group of volunteers who are doing an amazing job. I'm half thinking of volunteering as I couldn't think of a nicer spot to while away some hours gardening.

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Hope you are having a wonderful weekend too!