Card Chain Challenge

I recently joined a Card Chain Challenge (CCC) organised by Lily Pad Cards.

Card Chain Challenge consist of a group of crafters, who, upon joining the challenge, commit to making a card according to the theme(s) provided and sending this card to another member. They in turn will receive a card from another member.

This means that all members of the CCC will make and give away a card, and receive one in return.

I was super excited about this challenge which was the 1st I was participating.

This was the card I made, and it was sent to Betty Schaub of Texas.

I decided to try combining black, a serious kind of colour, with a fun, sweet colour - pink. I cut the circular card using Cricut Wild Card cartridge on the Expressions machine. The flowers are from Hero Arts and the sentiment from Penny Black Inc stamps.

I also, very excitingly, received a card from Kim Chong of Selangor!

Kim was so kind to also include some flowers for me to use. Thanks Kim!

The girl as the central image of Kim's card was so beautifully coloured and combined so well with the pattern papers that Kim used.

I am so looking forward to the next challenge!

Inspired by Stampendous! (part1)

I got my hands on the latest Stampendous catalogue (Merry & Magical) and found inspiration!
This card I made is inspired by a card on page 17.

The card base is white, and I layered it with red paper from DCWV Textured stack.

Instead of leaving the red paper as it is, I stamped with Versafine (from Tsukineko) and clear emboss it. The effect is gorgeous!

The next step is to cut the red paper to fit the panels of the multi folded card. As the card front and back can be seen, i had layered the red paper on both sides.
That done, the card is 75% complete.

The last bit is to add the cherry blossoms which I stamped, coloured and cut out. Then it's just left with arranging and pasting them onto the card.

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Cover it Up!

It has been a while since I was creative, so embarking on this project was daunting. It was an album cover, which started white, and all that white was a little scary!

I started by stamping and rubbing colour onto the cover as a base. I had an idea to use scrap papers to decorate the album cover, so I began by cutting them into small rectangles and distressing the edges by scraping them and edging them with inks. Then I pasted them onto the cover.

I decided to add stamping on the rectangles and misting them with glimmer mist. Once dried, the cover had a lovely distressed look.

For the front cover, I decided on handmade flowers, made from Spellbinder's Rose Creations. I cut each flower size twice and for the small flowers, I simply removed a couple of the bottom layers.

Lace, glitter, and pearls completed the look. Here is the finished product.

Tell me your thoughts by sending me a message at seriayu.cards@gmail.com, or simply find me on facebook!

Layered Flower

Handmade paper flowers are all the rage now with so many techniques being introduced. Find some gorgeous ideas on YouTube.

I came across the idea for this layered flower in a magazine and decided to try it out.

The technique is simply to layer 2 flowers together but pasting only from the base of the petals to about halfway up. Separate the tips of the flowers by curling them upwards so that the bottom flower layer can be seen.

Sponging the edges of the petals accentuate the layers. Add a few more layers of different sizes and you're done!

For the flower center, try buttons (like I did), small flower buds, beads, filigree, etc - spoiled for choice!

Below are some more images of the finished card I made.

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In the meantime: Some cards I made lately

Here they are:

The lace on the above card was coloured by Distress Ink (Crushed Olive). As the lace is cotton, I simply sprayed a bit of water on it and gently swipe the ink onto the lace. At first, the ink will be blotchy but give it 5 mins, and it will spread and even out. When it dries, the lace looks like it was made in that colour!

The normal way I make the paper flowers is to wet the petals and crush them. The crushing gives them a nice texture and natural looking lines. For the flower in the card above, I decided not to crush the flowers just to see the effect. It looks like a blooming rose. The lace is coloured again, using Distress Ink (Antique Linen).

The card above was made for a guy. I admit I hit a mental block for this one so I kept it safe with musculine colours with a dash of orange to brighten it up. The design is also simple, again safe, and because most guys dont go for clutter. For that matter, I dont think most guys go for handmade cards either!

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Mother's Day Cards

Need some inspiration for Mother's Day cards?

Let me share some...

We had a few hours to spare this afternoon so we decided to make Mother's Day cards. Although Mother's Day is 3 weeks away, I could not tell if we had time to do this project later. (note to self - make use of your free time before your busy time)

Here are what the kids came up with:

Sya (13 yrs old)

Amal (11 yrs old)

Haz (9 yrs old)

Fir (7 yrs old)

Lovely aren't they? I love it that each card has its own feel and style. And they are all made to honour the same awesome lady - the kids' mom, and my sis-in-law.

Hope they gave you some inspiration!

Try an Unusual Colour Combination

I had the design in mind. I had the papers I wanted to use. But there was still something missing in the card!

So I decided to add a flower, and WALAH! It was perfect (in my eyes) except the colour of the flower - light brick red - was totally off and did not match the rest of card (turquoise & black).

So I decided to make the flower the next day in a matching colour, only to be bit by the LAZY bug. I sat there too lazy to make another flower but not able to find anything else to fit my design, when it hit me - why not incorporate the colour of the flower into the card!

So I took the lace and inked it with Distress Ink (Fired Brick). It will look very dark at first, but as the ink dries, it spreads, evens out and lightens. I also included a brick red coloured paper.

And the result is this:

I admit that the colour combination is rather unsual, but I feel it turned out rather well.

So why not try an unusual colour combination? It might just turn out great! And if it doesn't, take it as a learning opportunity. :)

Tell me your thoughts! Find me on Facebook or email me - seriayu.cards@gmail.com