Ribbons and Rub-Ons

You won't believe this, but I actually did get in my craft room yesterday and made not one but three cards for four challenges- yey!!! The Play Date Cafe was a regular challenge of mine a few months ago, along with CR84FN. I have played at the Shabby Tea Room before too, but this is my first time at CAS-ual Fridays!

Ok, first up my card for CAS-ual Fridays and Play Date Cafe.....

CAS-ual Friday's challenge this week was to use Rub-Ons in a CAS card. When I read this, I knew I had to play along as I had bought a bunch of rub-ons at a little scrapbook store up in Big Bear last year and had left them sitting in a drawer since I bought them home. So, it was time to dust them off and have a go at them!

The Play Date Cafe challenge was to use a splash of colour in your card. I thought this would be the perfect match to the rub on flowers I was using.

Nothing too difficult here, just rub on the rub-ons (by KaiserScrapbook) and colour in the large flower with pink copics. The sentiment is a rub-on also from a little set that came with my Texture Boutique when I bought it. I just finished the card by rounding the corners, and it's good to go!

My second card is another really simple one that I created based on the colours in this weeks Shabby Tea Room challenge:

The challenge was create a card inspired by this photo, and using the colours pink, green and yellow. While rummaging through my stash for the rub-ons for my first card I came across these cute dragonfly stickers that I had bought last time I was back in England. They matched the colours for this challenge and even reminded me of the floral designs on the picture, with their patterned wings.

I ran a yellow card through my Texture Boutique with the Cuttlebug Leafy Branch embossing folder, and then inked over it lightly with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink to highlight the leaf pattern. I then simply stuck on the dragonflies (Paper Mania) and stamped the sentiment (HA CL342) in black Stazon. A simple summery card.

My third and final card was created using the CR84FN colour pallette for this week,



and is also inspired by the current CREATE blog challenge to make and use ribbon flowers in your design (though I won't be submitting this card for that challenge as I assume it can't have been posted on your blog beforehand?)

I really enjoyed making these flowers! I simply took three lengths of white ribbon and inked them with Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar and Scattered Straw Distress Inks. Then I hand stitched a basting stitch along the bottom edge of the ribbon and pulled it tight to gather it into pleats. I then attached the buttons using thread. I stamped the light pink card base with Hero Arts Small Stitched Flowers in Worn Lipstick Distress ink and cut a banner out of white card stock, inking that with Worn Lipstick also. The sentiment is a rub-on, also from the set that came free with my Texture Boutique (love freebies!), and I faux stitched around the edge of the banner before adhering it to the card with foam squares. I then arranged the flowers and stuck them down with Glossy Accents, and voila!

I really did enjoy getting back in my craft room, and I also realised something about myself, and why I struggle with finding motivation sometimes. I LOVE to learn new things, and what initially brought me to stamping was the Thinking Inking series Jennifer McGuire did a while back. I was amazed by all the techniques available to try, and couldn't wait to learn them myself. The problem is, once I have done them a few times I get bored lol! I am no means an expert though so I need to push myself to keep trying those techniques I have learned already, and incorporate them into the colour challenges online. So, now I have figured myself out- I can push myself to do more, because once I get in that zone I enjoy myself so much.

One thing I really do want to work on is my photography! I haven't found that sweet spot in my house yet, where the lighting is perfect, so I'll keep searching for that too and trying new locations. Today, Odie decided he really needed to help out with this...

Lol, I have about 10 outtakes today with random cat paws, whiskars, noses and tails in!! I should probably iron that pillow case I use for my backdrop too hehe!!

I seem to remember someone doing a series on how to improve your card photography earlier in the year, was it Lisa Spangler? All I know is to use the macro setting, so I have a lot more to learn!

Anyway, that's it from me for today- I have a list of other challenges I want to enter too so I'll be popping up tomorrow again I'm sure... but for now I have errands to run, and laundry to do :)

Lynsey x