Funky Fossil: July 2018

Monday, 30 July 2018

Bold Stripes

Hello!

I have added a bold stripes stencil to my Folksy store which I made in order to play along with two of my favourite challenges - Time Out and Less is More.

First up is my card for Time Out where we had a lovely photo inspiration to work from.

I simply inked the stencil in Salty Ocean distress oxide on the card blank and then I clear embossed my knitted background stencil on a piece of kraft card to pick up on the texture of the sofas in the photo. The fab sentiment is a die cut from Stamplorations. Hopefully this captures the nautical look of the photo which is:

Next up I have a card for Less is More where we are making one layer cards with a theme of stripes. I used the same stencil but this time moved it along and overlapped the colours to create a different effect. I used Cracked Pistachio, Lucky Clover and Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxides.

The sentiment is from Altenew and the stars are from Uniko's Background Builders Seeing Stars set.

I hope this has given you a feel for the ways that you can use the stencil to get different looks.

Check out my Folksy store where everything is currently 20% off when you use the code FOSSIL20 at checkout before midnight (BST) on 31 July. I will be closing the store for a few weeks from 1 August while we go on our hols :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Sunday, 29 July 2018

Christmas in July

Hello!

I have made a few Christmas cards this weekend...I think that I can count the number of Christmas cards that I have made so far this year on the fingers of one hand so it is going to be a busy autumn!! I recently got the Merry sentiment die and stamps from Winnie and Walter and that was what inspired me to get making:

First up is a one layer card that I made by masking a central panel on the card and inking through my Geo Flowers stencil in Peeled Paint and Lucky Clover Distress Oxides. The sentiment is from W&W and the sweet little holly is from Uniko. This is a quick one to batch make and shows that some non-Christmas specific stencils can work for festive cards. I shall link this up at the Anything Goes challenge over at Simon's Wednesday Challenge and at Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge where Anything Goes without the optional twist of Santa.

This card has a bit more bling and texture on it. I put a card panel through a snowflake embossing folder and added some highlights with silver gilding wax. The Merry is die cut from red glitter card and the snowflake is from MFT's stylish snowflakes set. That is cut from silver glitter card. Some shiny red and white washi tape complete the design. I shall link this up at Simon's Monday Challenge which is Christmas.

Remember to check out my Folksy store where everything is 20% off until midnight (BST) on 31 July before I close down for a few weeks summer break. Just quote FOSSIL20 at checkout.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Saturday, 28 July 2018

A Rainbow of Butterflies

Hello!

I just had to play along with the current challenge over at AAA Cards where the theme is Somewhere Over the Rainbow. No one can resist making a rainbow :)

I used my Butterfly Flurry stencil and this is what I made:

I inked through the stencil with a rainbow of distress oxides and added a simple sentiment from Concord and 9th. I layered the central panel up on some black card with striped washi tape. A quick card to make but pretty!

I shall also link up at Simon's Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes.

You can get this stencil from my Folksy shop. I am offering 20% off everything in the store until midnight (BST) on 31 July as I will then be closing for a few weeks whilst we go on our summer hols. Simply use the code FOSSIL20 at checkout.

Thank you for stopping by :)

Sarah

Thursday, 26 July 2018

Checks and Flowers

Hello!

I thought that I would share a few cards that I have made over the last few weeks but not got around to blogging. They are using my stencils and hopefully demonstrate some different ways to use them....

This is a card that I made using my Floral Circle stencil. I selectively inked it in greens and blues before going over the whole image with versamark and glazing it with clear embossing powder. I think that it looks like a piece of china! I shall link up at Simon's Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes.

This is another card made using the Chequer Board stencil. I simply masked a central square in order to create a frame and then die cut the aperture. It is a simple card that could be made in lots of colours for different recipients. I shall link it up at Seize the Birthday without the optional topping.

I hope you like them :)

Sarah x

Tuesday, 24 July 2018

Getting Cosy

Hello!

How is your week going? Well, I hope :) The summer heatwave continues so it feels very unseasonal to be making cards featuring my new knitted background stencil! Knitwear is the furthest thing from my mind at the moment but the chilly weather will be back again before we know it.

Here are a few of the designs that I have made with the stencil:

I inked through the stencil in shades of coral and warm yellow and added a wool stamp from Neat and Tangled. I cut the ball out separately and gave it some curved shape and dimension as well as adding a bit of pencil shading for added definition.

On this card I inked the knitted stencil through a heart aperture and added a touch of shading around the edges of the heart to create a focal point on the card base. The sweet sentiment is from Inkydoodles.

I hope you like these woolly designs - no knitwear involved!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Seeing Squares

Hello!

I am popping by with a quick post to share some cards that I have made with my new chequer board stencil. It is a fun way to create quick backgrounds!

I went over the stencil with versamark and white embossed the pattern to use as a resist with a range of distress oxides. I then die cut the sentiment and popped it up on funky foam. It was a really quick and easy card :) I shall link up at Simon Says Wednesday Challenge where we are using dies and punches.

On this card I simply inked through the stencil, masking off rows at a time to give a variation of colour across the background. I then die cut the sentiment several times to create a chunkier finish and heat embossed it with ultra thick clear embossing powder which gives a great glaze. I shall link this up at Inskpirational where our word prompt is birthday.

I hope you like these quick and simple cards - a good background stencil can give you lots of options :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Thursday, 19 July 2018

Geometric Stag

Hello!

I am popping in today with another stencil in my geometric animals range - this fabulous stag makes a great focal point!

I have inked through the stencil with several shades of distress oxide and then cut the image out. I popped it on to a woodgrain paper and added a die cut word from Sizzix. The die cut is in dark brown and mat gold cardstock which echoes the mats and layers on the card. I do like this handsome chap....I am thinking that he will be perfect for contemporary christmas cards!

I shall link up at Simon Wednesday's Challenge where the theme is using die cuts or punches and at Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies and CAS (where the theme is animals) challenges.

I hope you like my card and check out my geometric stag and other stencils on Folksy:

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Wednesday, 18 July 2018

Butterfly Flurry

Hello!

I was in the mood to make a clean and simple card yesterday which was quick to do but would add to my stash of birthday cards....am I the only person who never seems to have the 'right' card when I need it?! I have used my new Butterfly Flurry stencil on this card and love how easy it is to ink up:

I used some washi tape that I got from Hobbycraft with a blue and purple blend and then inked through the stencil in the same colours. The sentiment is from WPlus9. Quick and easy :)

I shall link up at Inkspirational where the word prompt is Birthday and at Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge where the theme is animals....hopefully butterflies count!

I hope you like this stencil which is available in my Folksy store:

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Monday, 16 July 2018

Shine Your Light

Hello!

I am introducing a new stencil today - it is a fab circuit board background which is great for mens cards and can be used in lots of ways. Here I have simply inked it up and highlighted a few areas with gilding wax:

I paired the background with a lightbulb from Mama Elephant and a sentiment from Indigoblu. I glazed the lightbulb for added shine.

I shall link up at Simon's Monday Challenge where the theme is Sparkle as the card has gilding wax and glaze on it plus a 'shiny' sentiment :)

I hope you like the stencil which is for sale in my Folksy store. I am currently sponsoring the challenge over at Time Out so you can play along there if you want to win your pick of 3 stencils from the store :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Tuesday, 10 July 2018

Time Out

Hello!

I have made a card to play along with the latest challenge at Time Out....where the inspiration phrase is:

I am so excited to be the sponsor for this challenge - you can win 3 stencils from my Folksy store :)

Here is what I have made:

I used my solid heart stencil base with Abandoned Coral, Worn Lipstick and Candied Apple Distress Oxides before placing the floral overlay over it and inking with Blueprint Sketch and Faded Jeans Distress Oxides. A sentiment from Uniko completes the design.

I hope you like this card and take the time to play along at Time Out too :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Sunday, 8 July 2018

A New Colour Combo

Hello!

There is a new challenge over at Less is More which is to use a colour combo of olive and tangerine. When taking refuge from the heat today, I decided to give it a go as it is not a combination that I would have thought of using....

I used it on my new Floral Circle stencil:

I simply inked the stencil with distress inks, adding elements of shading. I then clear embossed over the top to give it a glazed look. I die cut the stencilled panel out with a circle die and adhered it to the front of the card with foam tape. I was really pleased with how this turned out!

I shall also link up at Just Us Girls where the word this week is Citrus. The zingy orange and olive shades are my interpretation.

Next up I inked through my Forest Foliage stencil to create a shaded background combined with a gorgeous butterfly die from Sizzix. The sentiment is from Crafters Companion.

This is such a pretty colour combo....definitely one to use again!

As always, you can find my stencils in my Folksy store. Today I used:

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Saturday, 7 July 2018

Making Waves

Hello!

I have a new stencil to introduce to you today - my messy rainbows stencil is great for bright and bold backgrounds. When I used it in conjunction with some green and blue colour bursts it made me think of waves:

I sprinkled colour bursts over the stencil, spritzed with water and blotted quickly. I did that a few times to get the depth of colour that I wanted without too much 'bleed'. Once dry, I die cut a square out of the centre of the panel to create a frame and added the cute whale and sentiment from Mama Elephant. I shall link this up at Happy Little Stampers July Watercolour Challenge which is Anything Goes (without the optional twist of birthdays). I shall also join in at AAA Cards (just in time) where we are using a frame on our designs.

I used the central panel as a background for this fab porthole die from MFT and the same Mama Elephant set. The porthole is layered up several times to create a bit of dimension. I shall link this up at the July CAS challenge at Happy Little Stampers where the theme is Animals.

Here is the stencil that is in my Folksy shop:

Thanks for stopping by :)

Sarah x

Friday, 6 July 2018

Craft Stamper Take it Make It Challenge

Hello!

I am popping in this morning to share some inspiration to mark the beginning of our July Challenge over at Craft Stamper. As always with Take It Make It, the challenge is Anything Goes as long as you use stamping in some aspect of your design.

I decided to break out the fab Hooray stamp set from Concord and 9th to make this card:

I stamped the 3 part sentiment in different shades of Altenews Sea Shore ink set. The stars that come with the set were stamped on the card base in the same shades and a few elements were added in Hero Arts Navy ink.

I hope you like it and are able to find the time to play along with us this month. The rest of the DT have fab inspiration to share over at the Craft Stamper blog.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Monday, 2 July 2018

Butterfly Wishes

Hello!

I am popping in with a few more stencil creations today to make a few birthday themed cards. Firstly, I have a new stencil - geometric butterfly - which has just gone in to my Folksy store. It works alongside the geometric elephant and lion stencils :)

Here I have just inked the butterfly up several times in distress oxides to create a one layer card.

I combined the butterflies with one of my all time favourite birthday sentiments from Mama Elephant. I shall link up at Seize the Birthday where Anything Goes and at Just Us Girls where it is also Anything Goes.

I also inked up my Geometric Circles stencil in shades of purple as a background for another of these fabulous Tonic butterflies:

I coloured the outer layer with silver sparkle pen and the base butterfly with the oxide inks. The sentiment is from Crafters Companion Flutterby collection. I shall link up at Simon's Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes.

I hope you like these butterfly cards. The stencils that I have used are available for purchase.

Geometric Butterfly Laser Cut Mylar Stencil

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Sunday, 1 July 2018

Lots of Sunshine

Hello!

Have you been enjoying a glorious weekend of sunshine? I have been loving this warm weather and when I did seek some shelter in my craft room was obviously inspired by the summer sun....

I used my sunray stencil on a panel of white card and used distress oxides - Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral and Fossilised Amber to create the rays. I die cut the lovely Hello Sunshine from Stamplorations out of black card 4 times and layered them up to give a chunky effect before clear embossing. I shall link up at Inkspirational where the photo inspiration is:

I shall also link up at Just Us Girls where the theme is Anything Goes.

While I had the distress oxides out I decided to ink up my mandala stencil. I inked it up three times and cut elements from the top two layers to give lots of dimension. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I shall link this card up at Time Out where our theme is Warm. I shall also link up at Simon's Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes this week.

The stencils that I have used today are available in my Folksy shop:

Thanks for stopping by!

Sarah x