Complete Overhaul (and a long post!)

A week since my last post. I sit now in a completely overhauled craft 'studio' - taken almost a week to do, but it has been worth it as the room had become cluttered and untidy and a revamp was long overdue!
It's not quite finished as it needs painting but at least now I have all my crafting stuff neatly to hand and dear husband has a proper area now for his electric piano to sit  alongside his iPad and laptop. Just to the right are his main PC and 3 screens (don't ask - but apparently they are an ABSOLUTE necessity when you command the Starship Enterprise😵 or are a General in War Planet Online😉😉!).

Having been able to actually sit at a desk yesterday I spent my time making up a few cards from my saved 'practice' bits.
I had messed about on some small pieces of Yupo with Alcohol Inks trying out different colours. I put them to one side to dry then promptly forgot about them until we began the big re-vamp! So here's one -  I topped it with a NBUS die cut (another odd bit!) and a gold metal butterfly.
Gold embossed the sentiment.
Quick, easy and more bits used up so am calling in on my good friend Di at Pixie's Playground with this make and also sharing at the CAS challenge at Allsorts.

Whilst my first DT card at CAS Stencil involved Alcohol Inks, (my card is HERE)  the challenge at CAS Mix Up called for  Alcohol Ink Lift Technique.

I found this technique much easier using a dry baby wipe with blending solution wrapped round a stamping block and applied to the stamp rather than using the Lift Ink Pad.  

Easier ?  Yes but happy with the results? Not really!!

My seahorse and seaweed stamp design looked so much better in my head!
But I will have another go at this I think as I like the soft etheral look  that is achieved using the blending solution to lift off the colour (and I have LOTS of bits of Yupo to use!)

I have a couple of plants to pot up outside then I am planning to enjoy my lovely new 'studio' (and use up the rest of the bits on the desk!)
Thanks for looking - enjoy your day whatever you're doing. xx

July at Stamping Sensations

Today our challenge is a well known quote for you to interpret - it's Emerson's  'The Earth Laughs in Flowers'.
Stamping Sensations is lucky to have Crafty Individuals as our sponsors this month and they are giving a whopping £25 voucher to our winner!
Please pop over to the challenge blog , read the rules and then make something and join us!

I got out the Brushos for this one!
I have found that I am much better wetting the card and sprinkling on the Brushos rather than the other way round.
If I put the Brushos on first then water I end up with far too much colour all over the place - if the card is wet before you apply them you can see how the colour is developing..... well it works for me anyway!

The stamp is from Crafty Individuals called 'Spring Flower Garden'. Stamped onto watercolour card, clear embossed and when dry added the water then the Brushos.

Luckily for me I had the challenge theme saying in a sentiment stamp!

CAS Stencil July Challenge and NEWS!

So - here I am - with my very first ever post as a member of the Design Team at CAS Stencil!
Scary eh?????
Am petrified!

But was very, Very, VERY excited to have been asked to join another team with such incredibly talented crafters and an opportunity too good to miss!
It also makes me deliver CAS cards which I have been leaning more towards and of course to use Stencils which I have never used a lot of before.

The challenge this month is being hosted by Cathy and she has chosen Alcohol Inks/Alcohol Lift.
Here's my contribution -

 I used Raspberry and Sunset Orange Alco Inks on Yupo paper.
I am still very much learning with Alco inks despite having had them for a long time - I have found that Yupo paper (although not cheap) is the easiest to work with when using Alcohol Inks.

My stencil is a 'Morrocan Tile' Effect and using the 'Lift' technique I carefully removed the  colour from the inks using blending solution sponged through the stencil.

Once finished I blotted with a paper towel and then carefully removed the stencil (Holding my breath!).  Some solution had run under the stencil on one side but I simply trimmed the piece slightly.

Mounted the finished piece when dry onto basic white card to give a bit more stability to the Yupo, chopped in two and after stamping the sentiment direct onto the card base stuck on my two 'Tile' pieces using foam pads.

If you're new to stenciling or using Alco Inks check out the video tutorials over at the Challenge Blog and also see the beautiful cards from my teammates and our July Guest Designer,  Janet.

I hope that you will come along with me whilst I travel down the road of CAS Stencil and maybe we can learn to use our stencils in different ways together!

A Birthday Bouquet

It is my blogging buddy Darnell's birthday today! (Shhhhhh - don't say how old🙊🙊)
Clever Darnell is part of the wonderful DT at CAS Watercolour and they are celebrating her birthday with the challenge of a 'Bouquet of Flowers'.


 I hope Mr Postman delivered my card to Darnell in time for today but just in case it hasn't arrived across the pond yet I have made one to share with her via the Challenge as well.

I have recently acquired this stamp and matching die set. I love it!
I stamped and heat embossed in gold and used my new watercolour paints before die cutting.
The background in the circle is a simple colour wash and some gold spatters and a heat embossed sentiment.

Happy Birthday Darnell! xx

Tidy up

Since arriving back home from my few days away I have been chasing my own tail a bit catching up with washing/ironing/shopping for M-I-L etc (note there was no mention of housework in there....😉😉) and the last 3 days have just disappeared.
Today I intend to sit and play with some new stamps but before that I had a quick tidy up of the desk (this counts as housework in my opinion😏😏)

It's actually amazing what you find when you clear away  ....🙈🙈

I remember doing this and not being happy with it at the time.
Looking at it this morning, it's rather grown on me - but only a little -  although I still don't know if I will put it in the Card Box.
It was a bit of an experiment and a practice with pencils for colouring on dark card and my original intention was for a Sympathy card but maybe it is too dark and brooding?

Stamped and clear embossed the stamp  - from Joy Crafts I think but is that old I can't remember?!!)

Coloured with Inktense Watercolour Pencils.
I think maybe the centre could have been a bit more vibrant and am considering going over it with a brighter colour - although if I am not going to use it I mightn't waste time!

Sharing over at
Make My Monday - the letter B (Bloom and Black)
Crafty Friends - the letter B (Bloom and Black)
Paper Craft Crew - #342 Stamping/Floral/Feminine


Desk now cleared and ready for action - but am going to get a cuppa and come visit you all first!
Thanks for visiting today - and if you have left me a comment I thank you very much! x

Pastel

A quick post and share from me today - - made this for a friend.

Stamps and inks are all from SU. Blushing Bride and Lucky Limeade.

I made a small error with the positioning of the leaves and ended up overlapping onto the flower petals - but as I said - it was done in a bit of a hurry and I hope she doesn't notice!!

Sharing over at
Allsorts - Soft Pastels
AAA - 1 Corner/Flowers
Crafting Challenge - Flowers

It has been very  humid the last 2 days in between the rain!
We had some real downpours overnight and a couple of very hefty showers today - the sky is a light grey colour so no doubt more on the way. The photo isn't the best either owing to the poor light!

I am off for a couple of days so will visit you all when I get back - in the meantime, thanks for having a look and if you've left a comment, I really REALLY appreciate it!
Happy Crafting! x

Is this Summer?

I flew to Jersey (Channel Islands not USA!) last  Saturday for the British Isles International Series (a couple of pics at the bottom of this post so be warned - picture heavy!)
The British weather is ridiculous at the moment, I burnt the top of my head in strong sunshine (ouch! 😡 ) on Monday and then Tuesday we were treated to rain of monsoon proportions ⛆⛆☔, so much so that play was suspended for a short while as the green was flooded.

Home yesterday and have just been outside (in the sunshine) to hang out the washing - and I needed my coat! The wind is really cold here on the top  - I bet those a mile away in the valley are wearing shorts and T shirts! 

Anyway enough of my weather reports - here's my make for today.

Appropriately done in the England colours of red white and blue - the firework stamps are by Hunkydory, inked in Majestic Blue and Crimson Red.  

The sparkles were done by using Glitter embossing paste through a fireworks stencil.

The red and blue Bakers Twine just wrapped round and tied into a bow to finish.
This card was made for the lady who was my Junior Vice President when I was England President - we became good friends whilst working together and she took over the reins in February. (Should have shared before now😳!).

Am sharing my make at Alphabet Challenge blog where the theme is G for Glitz.

We stayed on for a couple of days after the series finished  and here are a few pics of pretty Jersey from the ton that we took (and one of the team who dug in and performed brilliantly coping with all the weather that was thrown at them  -  and retained the trophy for the third year in succession!!) #TEAMENGLAND!

Mid month reminder - Stamping Sensations

It's half way through the month so here is my mid moth reminder post for our challenge at Stamping Sensations with Visible Image  offering a £25 voucher to our winner - so if you haven't already joined in, you still have time!
For our June month the theme is 'Show Your True Colours'. So we want to see projects with your favourite colours.......
As I mentioned in my first DT post here - I simply do NOT have a favourite colour! So after my fave 3 Distress Oxides colours used, this time for my mid month reminder I have used my fave Pixie Powder and Brusho colours (with a bit of blingy gold thrown in) as I love Autumn colours!

The stamps are Visible Image 'Time After Time'.

I stamped the clock and gold embossed, then stamped again and fussy cut the centre dial. I gave the centre piece a liberal dose of Glossy Accents after rubbing over with a dry paintbrush of Antique Linen DI.
The wings were done the same minus the Glossy Accents and I gold embossed the sentiment which is from the same stamp set.

The inky panel was done on watercolour card and I used Antique Copper (which is yummy!), Straw Yellow PP's and Dark Brown Brusho.
Overstamped the 'Time Flies' using Vintage Photo DI.
The gold highlights on the panel were achieved with Cosmic Shimmer Powder in Pale Gold.

Mounted the panel onto dark brown card and popped it onto an embossed background. (I wanted to use my Clocks folder but it wasn't big enough!)

Hope you can join us this month!

Blue Part 2 (and a bit of Pink!)

A quick share!
This was one of those stamps that I HAD to have as soon as I saw it.  No idea why as I am not/never have been/never will be a Ballet Dancer! But there was just something about it that appealed to me.
I made 2 cards in different colours -
 and can tell you they were both terrible to photograph!
We have had so much rain and grey skies, taking pics of anything has been really difficult.

Both cards coloured the same with watercolours - although wasn't happy about my shading with the blue one - as the paint mix (shades of blue and white) is so obviously different to  the shoes.

I stamped both in Smokey Grey as I wanted a softer overall look.

The 'Dance' sentiment is from SU and the 'Dream' one from an old set (make unknown).

I am submitting the blue card as another entry into CAS Watercolour where the theme this month is 'Blue'.

I am off to the British Isles International Series tomorrow for a few days - a short one hour's flight away.
Keeping everything crossed that the deadful rain ☂☂ we have been experiencing for such a long time here in the UK has now moved away to give us some dry days while play takes place!
#TEAMENGLAND💪

Thanks for taking the time to visit me - I will catch up with you all very soon. x

Blue

Having found myself with the washing done and drying on the line and despite the sunny weather (not very warm) I escaped to the craft space on the last day of the weekend, where I spent a few happy hours making a mess with ink!
I am joining in again this month at CAS Watercolour where the challenge is 'Something Blue'.

I LOVE 💖 this cherry blossom stamp from Technique Tuesday.
I rank it amongst my all time faves.
It is one of those stamps that whatever colour you use it looks 'right'!

Although I confess to never having stamped it in BLUE before......!

Used Versafine Majestic Blue for the outline and coloured it with my (new 😊) watercolours before fussy cutting. (I do have the co-ordinating die but I  didn't want the white edge round  the outline of the stamp.)
Once dry I added a few teeny spots of Nuvo Crystal.

I inked the stamp again with Chipped Sapphire DI and spritzed with water then did a bit of random stamping onto a scrap of watercolour card. I tried to blend the ink a little across the background - (note to self - more practice needed at this!)

The sentiment is also from Technique Tuesday.
Also sharing at -
CUYL #112 - Blue/Flower/Watercolour
Creatalicious - A/G + Blue
Pixie's Snippets Playground - (Blossom and background were offcuts of watercolour card)
Make My Monday - Lots of Flowers
Alphabet - F for Flowers

Thanks for looking today, have a lovely day whatever you're doing. x

Ombre

Had a couple of hours last night in the craft space, so made a couple of cards for challenges.

This one is for this month's CAS Mix Up, which is being hosted by the wonderful Mac (who has so much talent she annoys me!!!😉😉 )

She chose Ombre as her theme so my card combines Ombre technique with ink, Stamping, heat embossing and die cutting.

My stamp is from WOW and called Tropical Flowers. Heat embossed in white then added the inks - I used just two shades, Fired Brick and Candied Apple.
Chopped my card front and popped the panel into the card then re-assembled the card front.

The die cut sentiment had about 20 positions before ending up where it is!
The heat embossed greeting placed underneath the die cut was done on an offcut from the ombre technique.

Sharing over at
A2S+M - CAS
Alphabet - F for Flowers
Creative Moments - A/Goes
Crafty Catz - A/Goes

Have a great weekend! x

(Im)perfect Pearls!

The June challenge at CAS Stencil is to use Perfect Pearls on your stencilled project.
Never having done this I was pleased to see a couple of links to tutorials on the challenge blog (along with some pretty amazing makes from the Design Team), and I spent a little while watching instead of making!
I apologise for the really poor quality of this pic - it is a grey day here and the photo taking not made any easier by the use of some gold card... (why oh why do I still use this? I know it makes picture taking the pits!!)

I used Pale Gold on my meadow flower stencil and don't think it's too bad for a first attempt!

I finished it with a gold embossed sentiment from SU. 

Things I learnt -
1.   I find black card very hard to work with!
2.   I found it easier to apply the Perfect Medium with a blending tool rather than just foam
3.    Better to use a big flat brush to apply the Pearls, tapping off the excess from the brush into the pot top before you put on the stencilled image
4.   Don't rush into or go mad brushing off the excess as it will smear and spoil your efforts!

I enjoyed doing this, learning as I went along and as I have lots of colours (normally unused), I will definitely have another go and maybe be a bit more adventurous with a bigger stencil!
Also sharing at
SOS - Stencil Me This
APTS - Stencil Me In

Thanks for looking today - as always I am very appreciative of your comments (and any tips!). Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

June Challenge at Stamping Sensations

So here we are with another challenge at Stamping Sensations and the wonderful Visible Image are offering a £25 voucher to our winner!
For our June month the theme is 'Show Your True Colours'. So we want to see projects with your favourite colours.......
I found this an impossible challenge!😕😕 How do I pick my favourite colours? I like all of them!!
So having found the theme difficult I thought about the colours I use MOST when making cards.
That too was a difficult choice!  I was saved by having to do 2 posts - this one and one for the mid month reminder - so I was able to show the colours that I use a lot on the 2 cards!

First one is a combo of some of my fave Distress Oxides.
Cracked Pistachio, Mermaid Lagoon and Peacock Feathers.
Made an inky background bending all 3, then used a Visible Image Crackle background stamp inking it in the same 3 colours and doing some random stamping.
Once dry, I used a brick Mini Stencil sponging it with Peacock Feathers.
The circle stamps are from VI's Rays of Light set.

I love this large sentiment (also from Visible Image) and I placed 'Hope' (Banksy's girl) touching it like she was reaching for the bunch of hearts.

Please visit the challenge blog and read the rules before submitting an entry!
Thanks for visiting. x 

Blooming Marvellous!

Happy Monday to you all.

I have spent today playing about with some new watercolours (a little treat to me - a Winsor & Newton half pan of 45 lush colours!)

It was good having some time to sit and lose myself as for obvious reasons things have been a little mad round here.

The stamps were a freebie from a mag. Not often I buy crafting mags but I liked this flower and the matching dies.

The flowers and the green leaves are all from the same set and I stamped everything in Versafine Black before playing with my new paints.
.
The black leaves are from SU. No idea why I coloured them black but it looked 'right' somehow! No matching die for these - all fussy cut!! Used leftovers for the flowers and leaves so am visiting the Playground (and have a note to explain my absence)!

A frame cut out with a stitched die then the card front run through with the EF, frame back in after a few paint spatters and a sentiment stamp from another set.  Job done!
(Although the weather here today has been anything but blooming marvellous that's for sure).

Many thanks to all of you who have left messages about my M-I-L. A long road ahead.

Sharing my blooms with
Little Red Wagon - Flower Frenzy
Die cut Divas - Flowers
HLSWatercolour - Happy
HLS Dies - A/Goes
PB & More - Feminine

Thanks for looking - and happy crafting! x

Baby Wipes!

It has been a struggle this month for me to keep my promise to myself to enter the CAS Mix Up Challenge each month (reason explained in the post below this one) and I am almost at the last minute sharing this into the gallery.

I tried a couple of things using the Baby Wipe techniques suggested on the challenge blog but was disappointed with the results. I desperately wanted to have a go with my limited Distress Oxide stash on glossy paper, however the photo paper I have is very thin so didn't take the inks well. (Will buy some better stuff next time I am out!)

In the end I opted to use the Baby Wipe as an Ink Pad, again with only limited supplies!
Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick and Weathered Wood ink refills dropped onto the wipe , a very old Hero Arts stamp set used for the leaf flourish and flower head.
The 'splatters' are from SU.

Then I got very messy and folded the wipe and dragged across the bottom of the card.
More ink on the fingers and the surrounding craft mat than on the card but undeterred had another couple of 'passes'!

The die cut sentiment was lying on the desk so used it before it became too tatty.
Overall, don't think it looks too bad!
There's also a brand new challenge over at The Foiled Fox   asking for a Colour Trio, so am linking up there too!.

Thanks for looking today and thanks to everyone who has sent me their best wishes for my M-I-L. They are much appreciated.  x 

Inspired at last!

My visits to blogland have been a little bit sporadic of late. And if I haven't visited you in a while I promise to get round to you as soon as I can. (Explanation of absence at the bottom of this post)

I have needed some time to simply relax and managed to grab a couple of hours in the craftie space.
(My side of the room is scheduled for an overhaul very soon as I simply have too much stuff on tops of bookcases and desks so a little redesign coming up - I hope!)

I used my fave textured card for this make, masking off a panel and inking with Shabby Shutters DI before overstamping the grasses with Mowed Lawn.

The tulips were stamped, clear embossed, coloured and the heads and leaves fussy cut - (that was a fiddly job! They're really small!!) - before popping them up on tiny foam pads.

A snippet of white card used to make the frame and a die cut butterfly to tie it all in together.

Sharing my make at -
Paper Players - CAS + Plants
ATSM - Make Your Mark

So I said I would explain my absence -
My mother in law has fractured two bones in her back - simply by making her bed would you believe?
It took two emergency phone calls as the pain was so intense and she was unable to move, followed by 2 stays in hospital before they finally decided that instead of simply giving her painkillers and sending her home saying it was a pulled muscle that there may be something more serious causing the pain.  An X ray revealed 2 fractures.
So now she is in a full body brace for the next 5 months.
She is currently in an Intermediate Care Facility and is coming home to her flat on Saturday, having passed some small mobility tests today. She lives on her own and has always been active and independent so being confined indoors until she gets a bit more able to do more things for herself is not going to be well received I think!
She lives an hour away too so there has been much travelling of late and this looks likely to continue for a short while at least.
Thanks for visiting today - promise to get round to you as soon as I can. x

May Mid Month reminder - Stamping Sensations

Here is my little nudge to remind you of our May Challenge at Stamping Sensations!

Chocolate Baroque are our sponsors - and who wouldn't want to win some stash from them???!

I again used the Honey Bee stamp set and my Honeycomb embossing folder (and if you missed the first post about this challenge it is HERE).
I really do like this stamp set!

So after a little bit fussier with the last one, this time I went for CAS.

The flower and bees were stamped, watercoloured and fussy cut.

I added some Glossy accents to the bees wings and they really do look transparent now on the card!

The background was inked with Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey and Squeezed Lemonade and I applied the Bokeh technique of sponging over it with a circle stencil and white pigment ink.

Another piece of cord to secure the cute sentiment and done!

Playing about

Not had much time to myself this week, but managed to have a go at a technique which is really simple and I don't know why it's taken me so long to do!
This is for a friend of mine and I needed it in a hurry.

I don't have many Distress Oxides and you need them for this, but I do have my 2 of my fave colours EVER and I used them for this.

On reflection I think perhaps I should have used a darker blend of inks but you learn as you go along!

Peacock Feathers and Mermaid Lagoon brushed onto plain white cardstock.
The hydrangea is from Technique Tuesday, gold embossed onto the inked piece.

By simply using a paintbrush loaded with water you can 'remove' the colour from the flower petals lightening the embossed image.

The pic really doesn't do it justice - I am very pleased with how this turned out for a first attempt - the image seems to float amongst the darker background.

I will try another using a darker Oxide shade I think at some point.

As it's Friday I hope you are all looking forward to a fabulous weekend! Thanks for visiting! x

Sharing my card at
The Flower Challenge - Embossing (Heat or Dry)
A2S&M - A/goes
SOC - Flowers
SOS - May Flowers

Monster!

Had a few hectic days with a 2 day trip to Cardiff then a day in Dorset before travelling back today. A busy time but enjoyable although now am tired!

I made this card just before I went away and didn't have time to post it -


I don't often use digi stamps but this months challenge at CAS Watercolour has the theme of 'For a Child'.
Now, child suitable stamps are not something I possess!


So improvised with this monster which I had saved in my digi folder (likely a freebie and sorry but have no idea where it came from as it's years since I even opened the digi folder never mind the stamps in there!)
I coloured with my waterbrush pens (still practicing!), then fussy cut him out, dotting some white on the parcel.
I randomly stamped the background spots in the same colours adding the sentiment with Versamark.
He looked kinda lost on a plain white background so opted to use an embossing folder!

Sharing over at
AAA- Up to One Third and Bright colours
Always Fun - Embossing folders
CAS Watercolour - For a child

Been a lovely day here - too late home to do all the washing (my excuse) but suspect that there will not be ANY option tomorrow as the forecast is for a lovely day!!
Thanks for looking - will be round to visit you all now I have my cup of tea in hand! x

Out of this World!

Those who know me know what I am like about football! (Soccer to my friends across the pond!).... so today I have been allowing my blood pressure to return to normal after an amazing night at Anfield last night!
Suffice to say the result was definitely 'out of this world' and the boys in red really did 'sparkle' - so in their honour -

Regular visitors will recall I made a card with an offcut from a galaxy background (it's HERE if you want a look!).  This is the original background where that offcut came from.
I quite like galaxy backgrounds (when I get them right) and I think this is one of my better ones. If you've not tried a galaxy background there are lots of great examples here on pinterest!

Lots of different colours used - Squeezed Lemonade, Fossilized Amber, Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserve, Dusty Concord, Black Soot.
A liberal splattering with water then when dry some white acrylic paint gave me my stellar sky.

The Starbursts and the sentiment are from Visible Image, simply heat embossed.

Sharing at -
Sweet Stampin' - Spaced Out
A Place to Start - Technique (Galaxy)
Fab n Funky - A/goes
APTTC - A/Goes

Thanks for looking today.
I am planning a quiet night in the craftie space - no more excitement for a few days at least! x