Wednesday 30 November 2016

Dreaming of a white Christmas, with video


Are you really? I like it when I can stay inside but a blanket of snow or iced over snow is no fun on  bicycle, trust me.

Anyway the card is for the Monday Challenge for Simon says Stamp: ‘O’ Christmas tree.
I started with some intricate double die cutting. See the video on how to do that, it’s hard to explain.
I used the biggest tree die from Yvonne Creations (YCD10053) and an oval die , you can use any brand. I did all this on a panel that’s almost an inch smaller than the card base, or the partial die cutting becomes even more tricky.
I cut a piece of cold pressed watercolour paper to the same size and used Distress inks to color it. For this I used the left over re-inkers that were still on my palette from the galaxy video, they still work.
Wilted violet, black soot, blue print sketch, chipped sapphire and faded jeans, the all look the same in the well, so I swatched them out on the cut offs from the watercolour panel.
I made kind of a gradient night sky. Dried it with my heatgun, but you can leave it to airdry if you prefer. I then applied Wendy Vecchi white embossing paste through a Simon Says Stamp stencil (falling snow).
I chose the bit in the middle for average snowfall. Set it aside to dry.
In the meantime I positioned my sentiment from CAS-ual Fridays’ set  must love snowflakes and stamped it with Versafine black onyx ink on the cardbase. I used the MISTI for this.
For my MISTI I laminated a sheet of the paperblock Simon Says Stamp made for the MISTI so I can try test my stamping and wipe it with a babywipe instead of mucking up a sheet, less waste  and always a nice clean sheet too.
Mounted the panel with foam tape and adhered the watercolour panel, trimmed off excess and then mounted the panel with foamtape again and adhered it to the cardbase.
For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, see this



Wednesday 23 November 2016

Christmas to die for

That's the challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenges. Showcasing their own brand this week.

For my card I heat embossed the SSS Merry Christmas Stamp with Papermania superfine silver embossing powder.

And boy did it want to stick today ;-) this is my third cardpanel lol.

And then I diecut a snowflake border with a die from a Dutch compan(Precious MArieke winterfun border).
Mounted the panel with foamtape.
On the cardpanel I added a strips of  blue glitter paper to the cardbase.
Stuck the panel on top, I first tried a lighter blue, but I  lopve the contrast this one gives, sadly it was my last  bit, infact there's a tiny hole from a butterflu i unched out ;-) but you can't see it, so sssst, don't tell anyone!

Thought about adding some sequins, but I really like this and I feel it's intricate enough.

I'm really loving this Merry Christmas stamp and have used it plenty since I got it, it's so pretty.

For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, see this

Monday 21 November 2016

Building a scene with your stamps, with Lawn Fawn Pa rum pa pumpum and a video

The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is : trio-tastic, use a trio of something.
I used three images from the Pa rum pa pum pum set from Lawn fawn.

I first stamped them on Inkadinkado maskingpaper and cut them out.
I then started by stamping the train and masked it, as I want the train in the front, I need to start with it. The stamped the rocking horse and bear over top, the masking paper protects the train. I used Memento Tuxedo black for all my stamping.

The positioned the sentiment to the right.

I hand drew the Christmas tree and lights, kept the lights all yellow, just to push it to the background as I want the toys to be the focal point.


Colored the whole scene with my Spectrum Noir markers. I work on the Crafter's Companion paper, wich is Neenah solar white ultra smooth cardstock.
I kept the coloring fairly simple, two, max three colors as the images are small and the feel is cartoony I liketo color them simply, if the stamps were more realistic I would adapt my coloring to suit those images, lucky for me I only have cartoony like stamps as I love those haha.

I used my Signo white gel pen to add dots to the eyes, makes them more lively
Adhered the panel onto the cardbase with tape runner.

Off camera I added a glittery enamel fot from Papermania, to the tree top, for some extra sparkle. I also added some Wink of Stella to the lights and the stars on the train.

For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, see this

Sunday 20 November 2016

Village with church


The AAA cards challenge, this week is about circles it's game #78.

I loved the card the guestdesigner made (Jessie handmade) and I'm not sure if that unconsciously inspired this card, I saw it this morning, and then just now after I finished the card. I actually based mine on one I did yesterday, but that was all square, and I though to myself it might also work in a round shape...

So I die cut a piece of 140lbs watercolor paper from Schut with a Marianne Design stitched die.
Then I used the village with church die from Craft Emotions to cut it out of the bottom.

I used different tones of blue Ecoline watercolor from Talens and then Sprayed it with a Perfect Pearls mist. Dried it with the heat gun and then stippled in some stars or snowflakes if you prefer with a white Sharpie.
Mounted the panel with foamtape.

I used the Classic Borders set from Hero Arts again for my sentiment and Memento Nautical blue ink.

Mounted the circle to my cardbase.





Yesterday's card.





















For more information on the AAA cards challenge, see this

Saturday 19 November 2016

Vintage Christmas



The Less is More Challenge this week is: vintage and as I'm all into Christmas cards the the moment is has become vintage Christmas.


I used the Simon Says Stamp Merry Christmas stamp, in itself pretty vintage style script, but I paired it with  Atlantic seaspray embossing powder from Wow!. To me it looks like faded copper, that went green by oxidation in parts still the copper shines through...think statue of Liberty ;-).


In de video I made 5, I chucked out one and then while the video was processing I made another 10 lol, you can see them on my facebook page www.facebook.com/cardsbymaaike

So I used Versamark to stamp most of them and then a variety of embossing powders, all from Wow! although I had pulled out Papermania and Lindy's stampgang stuff too.

The red with gold glitter is heart throb and on the background the snowflakes are  clear hologram sparkle embossing glitter and the stamps is from Leane Creatief nr55.9838

the gold is actually metallic brass.

For the card I tossed I used the glue inkpad from Tsukineko, and sprinkled on gold glitter. This is glitter I save from various projects, so there's chunky gold, fine gold, blue and red in there, probably more too let it dry.

For the foiled card I also stamped with Versamark and then sprinkled on bonding powder, also Wow!, melted it with the heat gun and then applied Fab foil (also Wow!) sprakle gold foil. set it aside to cool. You should wait for the bonding powder to cool before peelinf off the foil sheet. Had to reheat it a couple of times as I missed a few spots.

Mounted everything with foamtape onto cardbases.

For more inforamtion on the Less is More Challenge, see this






Thanks from the bottom of my heart

The challenge for the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge is : thanks/thanksgiving.

I made a card with  my newly acquired SSS die Heart of roses and I diecut it from red cardstock and white cardstock.

I traced the opening onto the cardbase and swiped Distress ink Candied apple on the cardbase.
I could have inlaid all those bits back in...not..
Or
I could have cut a panel from red cardstock again, but to save of weight and bulk I thought swiping some color directly on the cardbase was best.

I brushed some Multi medium matte on the white diecut and placed it in the opening of the redcardstock... I can make another card wichi is the reverse as well.

I then diecut the  Thanks from Memory Box (small thanks) from black cardstock with Elizabeth Crafts double sided adhesive on the back, so it becomes a sticker, you can also use Stick-it, but I had a scrap ;-)

The "from the bottom of my" is from Neat and Tangled's set All my heart and I stamped it
with the MISTI in Versafine black onyx ink, mainly because I positioned it over the intricate diecut too and there's a height difference, but it stamped perfectly in one go.

I hope it makes sense: thanks from the bottom of my...and a heart in the background, it does to me as I concocted this card haha.

For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, see this

Thursday 17 November 2016

200th CAS Colours and Sketches Challenge and a SSS haul, with video

Congrats to the CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #2001 woot, four years of goign strong.

This week the challenge is inspired by their logo colours, a trio of blues.
I chose Distress inks: tumbled glass, salty ocean and faded jeans for the ink blending and for the sentiment I used Memento dew drop Nautical blue.
For the card I started with this new die from Memory Box (tree branch circle). I lined it straight with my grid mat, put Post-it tape behind in and pressed the card panel onto the sticky tape. Hoping it would be in the middle as well as straight.
It wasn’t ;-) so I cut off a few mm to centre it again.
I traced the opening on to the carcase and  masked the edges with Post-it tape again.
I was still considering to make the panel smaller and thus a mat, but I decided against it later, but in case I would cut it I needed to make sure no ink would peek from behind
the card panel.
I think this look is more CAS.
I started with chipped sapphire, then salty ocean and them tumbled glass and I used the  mini ink blending things.
I made a glitter paste with Ranger texture paste transparent glory, one drop of Tumbled glass reinker and a bit of silver glitter for the shiny bit on the stars..
Not sure if silver is considered another colour, but I needed it, lol.
Set it aside to dry.
Meanwhile I die cut some forest hills, a village and a deer to see what I would squeeze into my scene.
And I didn’t want the squeezed or overcrowded look, so I chose to only use the lady deer walking through the forest.
Stamped the sentiment from Hero arts with Memento ink.
Mounted the panel with foam tape and adhered it to the dry card base.

For more information on  the CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge, see this

Updated November 29th:

A Yeti window card with Spectrum Noir coloring, with video

The Simon Says Stamp Wedsnesday Challenge, is Christmas Critters with Stampendous products.

I don't have many Stampendous products, but I think I incorporated the Encouraging words well into a Christmas card.

I started by diecutting three stars from a panel of Neenah Solar white  and placed the word stamps in the openings, picked them up with the Misti and stamped them with Memento Tuxedo black ink.

For the Yeti I traced the opening as he's bigger  than the window, only slightly but I  wanted him placed properly. I also stamped all this in Memento ink and on Neenah solar white panel,
then Stamped the "wishing you" also from the Stampendous set and Merry Christmas is from the Simon Says Stamp set Presents and ornament.
In hindsight I should have placed the stars a little higher as the Merry Christmas only just fitted, but just is good enough haha.

I colored the Yeti with Spectrum Noir  markers and filled the stars with the lightest blue marker, just to  make them pop and give them that wintery frosty feeling.
I cut a little slope from white glitter paper and mounted it with foamtap so the Yeti could stand on it, or behind it.

Mounted the panel with the windows also with foamtape and placed it onto the colored panel.


Used tape runner to adhere this to a cardbase.


For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, see this

Tuesday 15 November 2016

(masculine) CAS birthday card

I did put the masculine between brackets, I think it is, but I am no man, so not sure if it is ;-)

So I made this card  for my dad and for the Addicted to CAS card challenge: ombre.
My ombre is in the Distress inkblending behind the checker board or diamond cut outs. For it I used Cracked pistachio, peacock feathers and Mermaid lagoon, one of my favorite "recipes".

I started the card by diecutting the diamonds from Neenah solar white cardstock. It's a Sissix/Tim Holtz die (660220).
I then stamped the dog from Katzelkraft (les Chiens) and the sentiment from CraftEmotions (gefelciteerd-nl) with Memento Tuxedo black ink.
I colored the dog with Spectrum Noir markers ( EB1-EB2-EB8-TN7-TN8-GB8-FS8 and CR6) and a Copic (C1).

I sponged the Distress inks directly on the cardbase with the mini inkblending tools and adhered the panel with tape runner and a bit of glue from the quicky glue pen.


Where-ever you locks onto on the card, your eyes will be guided in a circle,say you start at the sentiment and go right, the point in the diamonds wil make you eye travel down, to the dog, upwards to his eyes and then back to sentiment...try it..it's a trick I've learnt at artschool ;-)

For more information on the Addicted to CAS challenge, see this



Monday 14 November 2016

Inkblending on vellum, with video

The technique of the week for the Facebook gropu Distress inks and Technique is: inkblending on vellum.
I made a card with  a window panel and a votive holder. Very simple to do.
I didn't really tape down the vellum, but I would suggest you do as it wrinkles really easily.
The vellum I'm using is about 40lbs or 85grams. There is thicker and thus sturdier vellum out there.
I sued a variety of Distress inks in blue tones, remember the colors are much more
muted, so the tumbled glass from my recipe (chipped sapphire, stormy sky and tumbled glass) really is almost invisible, so I switched to salty ocean.

For the candle it's easy enough to apply if you keep your (damp) finger out of the way ;-).
On the votive I've also added a snowflake stencil. You can either do them darker like I did with faded jeans or bleach them with a damp paper towel or baby wipe.



To assemble the votive I rolled it around a canister of glue, a little bigger than the battery operated tealight. and I used double sided sticky tape to secure it. It shows a little along the seam, but I don't mind, you can disguise it with a strip of paper or ribbon if you like. I added some glittery ribbon to the bottom to weight it down slightly.

More ideas, is to diecut openings from cardstock and place vellum behind it.
I made two versions for St Patrick's day and used a heart die to make it look like a clover
as I don't have a clover die.
Also I inkblenden one piece of cardstock with Distress inks and splattered it too.

Or you can just apply ink trhough a stencil on the empty vellum if you ant it to show up more.


The card I pretty  much assembled in the video, but a day later I added the diecut village from Craft emotions. I used the negative of the circle I had die cut to position the village, so if would also have nice stitched details and fit perfectly, I adhered it with taperunner.


these I made almost two years ago for a SSS challenge for St. Patrick's day.
One is plain colored cardstock the other was white cardstock I inkblended, peacock feathers, cracked pistachio and mowed lawn I think, silver Distress inks splatter (brushed pewter) and blue and white (picket fence and mermaid lagoon) , maybe some gold too. decorated it with washi tape and string.


Check out the Distress ink techniques group on Facebook, click here

Friday 11 November 2016

birds, chickenwire and a thank you

The theme  at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is Thanks/thanksgiving with Tim Holtz, much like the Monday Challenge, but as I already entered there I  made a new card.
I'm also entering it into the AAA Cards Challenge: thanks/thanksgiving.

I used: 

Sizzix/Tim Holtz dies  660220
Stampers anonymous/ Tim Holtz Bird crazy
Simon Says Stamp friendship blooms.
Distress inks tumbled glass
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Spectrum Noir and Copic alcohol markers
Crafter's Companion/Neenah solar white paper


I started by diecutting the chicken wire from the Neenah panel.

Inkblendend Distress ink tumbled glass on the cardbase, where the opening is.

Then Stamped both the sentiment and the bird image with Memento ink.

Colored the bird with my markers.
Adhered the panle to the cardbase with some taperunner.

For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, see this


For more information on the AAA Cards Challenge, see this

Tuesday 8 November 2016

Home made shimmer or glitter paste diy, with video






The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is: shine bright like a diamond with Tim Holtz.


So I pulled out my Holiday Knit stencil from Tim Holtz.
I first started on red cardstock with Wendy Vecchi embossing paste, white one and added white glitter for shimmer, but you couldn't see it at all once dry :-(

So I pulled out the Ranger texture paste transparant gloss, added glitter and Festive berries re inker from the Distress line, also Tim Holtz.


I also used salty ocean with silver and blue glitter and a Dutch Doobadoo snowflake stencil and a few more.

In the video I also compare just glitter and texture paste and or color with texture paste and no glitter, all completely different effects.

So for the card I trimmed the glittered holiday knit panel and adhered it to the cardbase.
I trimmed a bit of black SSS cardstock for the sentiment and heat embossed the sentiment from SSS set  presents and ornaments. I used Papermania superfine silver as the stamp is very dainty.

I diecut the deer from sturdy glitter cardstock in brown as deer asre brown, right?, was a bit samey to the red, but hey...

For more information on the Simon Says Stamp challenge, see this




Monday 7 November 2016

Thinking of you


Both the Monday and Wednesday Challenge from Simon Says Stamp is thinking of you and to use Penny Black.

 Thought about it long and hard. And it still didn't come out as it was in my head ;-)
I have this clingstamp from Penny Black (fresh) and as it's almost remembrance day I thought it would fit.

I used a sentiment from Stampendous (encouraging words) to reinforce the theme.

As this card is maybe more for the loss of a loved one I didn't want to paint it all happy and vibrantly. I would have prefered a single poppy, but that one wasn;t Penny Black and I always try to adhere to the challenge requirements if I can.

So I thought I would color one poppy in red  for the remembrance bit and also if it is to go for a deceased person I also wouldn't want it all nicely colored but more subdued.

Does it all make sense?
I used #318 of Talens Ecoline on Schut watercolor paper.
I stamped everything with My Favorite Things Hybrid black ink and the MISTI as I need to stamp more than once, or twice, or trice even ;-)

I've put some drops of Glossy accents on the colored flower.


Have you seen the new style blog?
New Challenge badges too, for Monday at least, couldn;t find one for Wednesday, maybe still being made ....

For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. see this





For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, see this


Saturday 5 November 2016

Purple and Gold

That's the theme over at Less is More this week.

Some sad news on the blog as Chrissie Stokes is scaing down her duties. Life gets in the way sometimes, se I wish her all the best and to enjoy the grandkids, that's precious, my mum and dad never get to see theirs....so we know...

Ok onto the card:
I used a stitched circle diefrom Marianne design to cut out a window, off centre, traced the opening and then stamped the bauble, also off centre as I thought that would look nicer.

I used a new stampset from Studio light (stampLS08) a Christmas layering stampset.
I used Memento dew drops to build it up ( lulu lavender, sweet plum and elderberry).
I heat embossed the topper thingy in gold (Papermania) as well as the sentiment (Hero Arts Deer 4x6).
then drew a line with edding gold pen to the bauble as it's hanging.

For more information on the Less is More Challenge, see this