Well I think I blinked and missed the weekend!
The last few days have simply flown by  and I have no idea where the time went - or what I did whilst it was going!!!!
Here's my share for today (and the last few days! LOL)-
I am sooooo unsure about the colours on this card. The papers are by Raspberry Road and if my Mum was still with us, she'd have described them as 'sludgy green colour'!!!
I just wanted to do something a bit different from my normal colour schemes but am not sure if I achieved the objective - which was after all to create a  card that someone would be happy to receive...........!

Anyways, this LOTV stamp was one on my shopping list for the NEC in November - I didn't go but my friend did! She says she bought more stuff for me off my list than she bought for herself........ little fibber - don't believe it for a minute!

So back to the stamp - it saw ink for the first time on Friday and I coloured it with watercolour pastels after duster brushing the edges with crushed olive distress ink. Think these little mice are the scrummiest things ever!  

I added a little bit of sparkle to the rose bucket I mean BOUQUET.... which probably doesn't show up the best in the pic but looks OK  'IRL'.
I used a paper doily(duster brushed with crushed olive distress ink) , some pearls and a length of lace from my stash and finished with a scrap cut off from the lace box, a couple of punched out card flowers and leaves and a sentiment which was a freebie stamp in a craft mag.

Stitched, layered, distressed (several times!) onto dark green cardstock - oh and the inside is decorated to match the front!

Challenges -
One Stop Crafts - Stitching
Crazy Challenges - Flowers
Sweet Stamping - Animals
Crazy 4 Challenges - Layer it On
Craft Your Days Away - Distressing
My Time to Craft - A is for Adorable (and I think the mice are just that!)

Thanks for dropping by today - am off for a coffee so I can then sit and catch up on all your newest creations. x

Watercolours

Sun shining here at the mo, but wintry showers forecast - it's quite cold despite the sunshine.

I finished this card yesterday afternoon and it was too dark to take a decent pic - but at least it means I have something to share with you this morning!

I fell in love the minute I saw this Stempelglede stamp set last year and have used all of the stamps on the plate (which is unusual for me! - Normally I buy a set, use one and the others gather dust!!)

This beautiful birdie though is my fave.


I duster brushed 'Tattered Rose' distress ink around the edge of a piece of scrap cardstock grading the colour to the centre so it was barely visible when it reached the middle. I then stamped the image in Versamark and spent a glorious couple of hours with my watercolours.
All the papers used apart from the first pinky/peach base are by Raspberry Road.


The birdie was distressed and layered onto co-ordinating cardstock and stitched.
I then distressed, layered stitched, distressed, layered, stitched and distressed-layered-stitched again with all the other paper and card. The birdie was mounted onto foam pads.
The pink lace piece peeping out from behind is from my stash.


I used the same distress ink on the flourish and stamped a sentiment onto co-ordinating card and cut out with a nestie and finished the front with yet another button from Mum's box and a scrap piece of shabby ribbon.

Here's a close up of the birdie  so you can click on it to enlarge if you want to and a peep at the inside.

Challenges -
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Birds of a Feather
Creative Stamp Friends - Old Fashioned/Antique
Crafty Bloggers - Distressing
My Mum's Craft Shop - Flowers
Craft Your Days Away - Distressing
Crazy Challenges - Vintage
Alphabet Challenge - 'Y' for 'YOU choose'
Moving Along With the Times - Bloomin Marvellous

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

Holes!

Well Apertures to be a wee bit more precise!
Apertures are the challenge at Less Is More this week. I made this card on Saturday but am sidetracked in making another 'shabby,fancy,vintagey, distressed' creation at the mo and only realised this morning I hadn't posted it!
So in complete contrast to the previous post (and no doubt the next one-LOL) here's a clean and simple card in an attempt to get at least a 6 out of 10 from the Head Girls!

The image is called 'Spring Rain' from DZDoodles.
I separated them and printed the Umbrella onto the front of white linen cardstock. The sentiment was also PC generated.

I used an oval nestie to cut out the aperture positioning it outside the frame of the brolly so that the handle would sit in the centre. It was a bit fiddly cutting round the handle of the brolly and I maybe should have stuck an acetate piece into the 'hole' to give it a bit more strength but hopefully it'll stand up OK the way it is.

I lined up the wellie boots and printed on the inside of the card - there is a 'Get Well Soon' sentiment underneath.

I took the pic of the inside before adding some glossy accents in an attempt to imitate raindrops!

I like CAS cards but have always found them difficult to do - the ideas I have in my head never quite turn out the way I think they will! Temptation is a terrible thing and I deliberately sit at the end of the space well away from the drawers and boxes containing all the embellies when I'm making for LIM - can feel detention looming if my hand strays towards the flower box!!! LOL

I'm also entering this into the One Stop Craft Challenge of 'Under the Weather' this week.

Thanks for dropping by - have a lovely day whatever you're doing - I'm back to the distressing tool and the sewing machine! x 

Shabby

Morning everyone!  The sun is out here at the mo - let's hope it lasts although the forecast is for showers....

I have been wanting to make this for over a week once I got the stamp and finally finished it yesterday. I cannot tell you how much I actually enjoyed making it - fiddling about with lace, scrim, paper and of course distress inks - I was in heaven!!
I used  Broken China, Bundled Sage, Crushed Olive and Spun Sugar on the stamp and I am beginning I think to finally get the hang of the duster brushes.
The papers are all from the delicious Raspberry Road 'Moments in Time' collection.
There are a lot of layers on this card and was panicking a wee bit as I didn't think the machine was going to co-operate! In the end I didn't stitch the actual stamp but mounted it with 3d foam pads!

So- 4 layers of papers all distressed, edges dusted with broken china ink and stitched.
Some cream and pale blue antique style lace from my stash.
Some scrim which I dyed with the distress ink and the flourishes were cut out with my new dies (a christmas present from Maureen). 

The little Eiffel Tower is shrink plastic. (Don't you panic when it first starts to shrink???!!!LOL). I added a couple of pearls in the top left corner, a tiny sparkly dragonfly and a piece of fabric stamped with 'Paris' which I again dyed.

I absolutely adore shabby ribbons and this length was a present from Maureen. It was cream so out with the distress ink again! The button is another from my Mum's button box - its got a beautiful pearl centre and has a real antque vintage look to it. I hand stitched the ribbon and button . I am really pleased with this bow - it just seems to look 'right'!

I followed the colour scheme and theme into the inside and waste not want not, used the ends I cut off from the ribbon with a ribbon slider to frame the space left for the greeting.

Challenges -
Sugar Creek Hollow - Go Girly
CardMadFairy - Ribbons and Bows
Paperplay - Ribbons
Crafty Catz - Ribbons and Bows
Gingersnap Supply - Ribbon
Digital Tuesday - Romantic Card
Crop Stop - Shabby/Distressed
Penny's Paper Crafty - Ribbons and Buttons
Ladybug Crafts - Bows
Allsorts - Needles and Pins
   

Blanket of Security!

Some friends of ours have recently had a baby so I took the opportunity to make a card using one of my favourite LOTV stamps - (actually I love all LOTV stamps so I can't choose a favourite - so they're ALL my favourites - LOL!)

But I like the simplicity of this baby stamp which looks equally at home on a clean and simple card as well as a more fussy and fancy one.
All the papers used on this offering are from Raspberry Road.
I coloured the stamp with promarkers and brushed some distress ink around the image. I thought at first I may have been a bit heavy handed with the ink but when I'd layered the image onto the blue and yellow die cuts and stitched it, decided it looked OK.
I paper pieced his little blanket and the sentiment on the front is a freebie from TLC which I cut out with one of my 'christmas presents to myself' nestie dies and I thought it just fitted perfectly with our little boy who is obviously getting lots of comfort from his blanket!

I confess that I have stitched everything in sight on this card!

Not content with decorating the front I carried on the theme into the inside.
Please click on the pic to enlarge it for a better view.
The ribbon under the space for the greeting is from my stash. I have had it for at least 5 years and have never used it - how bad is that?
The ticket sentiment was printed out and I used the duster brush on it again to make it a soft shade of blue. It says -
'Other than a dimple in a cute little chin, What is more adorable that a toothless grin?'
I considered the usual flowers, pearls, organza ribbon etc that I always end up putting on my baby cards but decided to just leave the front as it is as for a change.
Those who know me know I am most definitley NOT a baby person - but I really like making baby cards!!!

Challenges -
Crafty Boots - New Beginnings
Ooh La La - New Beginnings
By the Cute and Girly - New Beginnings
LOTV - Favourite Stamp
Freshly Brewed Monthly Challenge - Use Something New (my nestie labels)
CYDA - New Beginnings
One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting - a big hello to my new followers, it's lovely to see you! And to all of you who call in regularly and leave comments, i appreciate each and every one of them.

Enjoy the rest of your day whatever you're doing.  x

Curtain Call part 2

Following on from last Thursday's post, here's the second in my set of cards using those papers which I gritted my teeth to cut into!

Papers stitched and layered as before onto beige and black cardstock.

I really liked this part of the collaged paper - I can imaging someone being outrageous in the 1920's and dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower!

This time I added a die cut flourish coloured with a promarker and messed about the the promarkers and coloured up some prima flowers in the same beige colour and black.
I punched out a small flower from a scrap of the spotty paper from the last card.

Added a large pearl in the centre and two pearl pins to finish the outside.

Inside I added a border from the same paper and layered up some co-ordinating card onto the black background to make it easier to write a greeting.
There is a few more to come from these papers!

Challenges-
Unstampabelles - Anything Goes
Crafty Emmas - Vintage Dahling
Dream Valley - Anything Goes

and this week Cupcake Inspirations have this scrummy cupcake  pic to inspire 

Thanks for visiting again - have a lovely day. x

Second Go and an apology

Apology first - I am having problems leaving comments on a lot of blogs.I know this is not just me as others have said they're having problems too.
The blogs that have 'embedded comments' enabled  will not open the comment box - instead it just goes to a blank white screen. If you have the 'pop up' comments box then there isn't a problem. If you can change, please would you? Then I can leave a comment to show you that I've visited and admired your creations!
In the meantime I would like to say sorry to the blogs that I follow or visit regularly if you haven't received a comment - I am trying but the white screen keeps appearing! I will still be dropping by and hope to be able to leave you a comment soon.

OK - that done with, here's an offering from me for this morning (there may be more later as it's cold here and tum still growling so am not planning on doing very much in the shape of 'real work'!!!!)

This is my second entry into the Less Is More 'Birds- One Layer' challenge for this week.

I used my favourite linen textured card.
The stamp is coloured with watercolour pastels - it's been a while since I did any painting with watercolours and I enjoyed the relaxation that I get from a paintbrush and palette!

The CAS thing sometimes leaves me thinking there should be 'more' not less on some of my efforts and this is no different. But CAS it has to be, so I opted to put on three tiny black pearls at the bottom and knotted a length of ribbon across the top

I haven't added a sentiment yet. I may remove the ribbon and stamp a sentiment when I come to use it!

Thanks for visiting - I might be back again a bit later!
Have a lovely day whatever you're doing. x

New inks!

For a change I have been able to do this week's Less is More Challenge on the day that it's posted instead of the usual middle of the week/last minute Friday entry!

This is the first of two one layer cards (other one isn't dry) for the Birds theme.
Had a poorly tum this week so in between feeling sorry for myself I indulged in a bit of retail therapy and bought some distress inks.

(Bargain at £18 for 6! And great service from the company who are based in Lincoln -on e-bay they're called 'The Mad Crafters' (which is where I got the offer) but I think they have a store called ali-craft.co.uk on the web - they were here within 48 hours of ordering....it's the first time I have used this company but it definitely won't be the last.)

So was quite happy when I saw the challenge this week cos it was crying out for inky things!

I used an Elusive Images stamp from a set I have had for a while - can honestly say there isn't a stamp amongst the plate that I don't like (which is unusual when you buy a complete A4 plate cos there's usually one teeny one that you will never use!)

The birdie clinging on reminds me of the wheatfields we had this summer in the field opposite.
I stamped him in Versamark Onyx Black and masked off the area around him before playing with some new (and some old) inks. Colours used - Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord, Stormy Sky for the top and Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage and Crushed Olive for the bottom.
The sentiment stamp is from Papermania I think.
Other Challenges-
I Brake for Stamps- Simple
Bloggers Challenge - Wings and Things
Crafty Creations - Something New
City Crafter - Back to Black

It's a beautiful day here - but very cold so I hope the sun is also shining where you are and thanks for visiting. Have a lovely day! x 

First one

One of my promises this year was to use up at least a tiny amount of the paper I buy and hoard 'cos it's 'too nice to use'.  We buy the stuff because we like it then  put it away and don't use it, and some are even known to take it from the drawer every now and then and stroke it!
So - I used some of this before Christmas when I made a music themed Gothic Arch for a swap and was determined that the rest of the sheets (couldn't afford to buy the whole book so just bought four sheets!!), were going to be used up now that I had steeled myself to cut into them.

Be warned now - this will not be the only card made with this paper!

Yummy Graphic 45 Curtain Call papers stitched onto cream and black cardstock then mounted onto cream base card.

I cut out a piece showing some dancing ladies and stitched this onto the same card base combo.

Used Versamark Ink in Black for the Eiffel Tower and Dove Grey for the postage stamp and stitched again.

The lace is from my stash. I made a paper flower and stitched a button centre.

The Moulin Rouge ticket is from the same paper and I used a strip to co-ordinate the inside. I will probably add a cream square to the inside to make writing a greeting a bit easier! 

Challenges -
MAWTT - Spots and/or Stripes
My Mum's Craft Shop - Girls
The Pixie Cottage - Stitching
Incy Wincy - Vintage
Truly Madly Crafty - Anything Goes
Anything Goes - Anything Goes
PaperPlay - In Stitches
The Poodle Parlour - Button Up

Thanks for visiting - hope the sun is shining where you are! x

Purple Patch?

My tiny little bit of creativity seems to have deserted me completely lately.
I tidied my desk, put away all the stuff that was laying about and sorted all my papers into some semblance of order - since then - nothing!! I had to tidy the desk as there was no space to work, now I've got loads of space to work and a blank mind (no comments from those who know me well thank you...LOL)
Here is an offering for this weeks challenge at Less Is More.

I confess I am not a lover of the colour purple. There are a couple of LIMettes who love it so I apologise in advance for the next comment  - think I could probably live without the colour!!

Consequently purple inks etc are in very short supply in this craftie space.

I was also reluctant to use this stamp as I know someone else has already done so, but I like this stamp and to be honest it was all I could think of using when I read the challenge on Saturday, so use it I have!


My background is on glossy paper.
I have some very old Whispers inks - so old I thought they'd have all dried out by now but there were a couple that still had a little bit left - one thankfully was called  Violet - so I used that, plus Adirondack Rueberry, plus a Dove Grey Versamark ink, plus a Big and Juicy Birthday stamp pad - inked them all onto the craft mat then got out the duster brush and mixed them! The result is this plummy purpley colour which IRL is actually quite nice!
The stamp was embossed in Seafoam White and although you can't tell by this awful pic (the light here is terrible), I have dotted some sparkles onto the flower heads.
Matted onto white then purple card, a length of ribbon added then put onto card base which has been (very) lightly sponged with the Violet ink pad.


This actually looks much better here on my desk than it does in the photo (it must look OK cos I'm not unhappy with the result for once!) but you'll just have to take my word for it!
Have also submitted this into the Sketchy Colours challenge which is Purple and Grey.
Thanks for visiting, whatever you're doing I hope you're enjoying yourselves! x

Train

What a bad blogger I've been this week! The old mojo went walkabout so have concentrated this week on my neglected family tree.
Not finished with this particular line of the family just yet so my visits may be a wee bit sporadic for the next week or so until I hit the usual brick wall and put the tree away in frustration!!

But so none of you forget me, here's my share with you for today -  isn't this Mo image just lovely?! He just loves his train to bits!

The red and black train is a button from Mum's box. Some time ago, when she was still able to knit,  she bought a collection of fancy buttons for children's cardigans- those she didn't use were kept in the old tin - some lovely unusual ones in there which I've promised to use this year.
Think it works quite well against the blue really - I added some crystal gems in a flourish design for the smoke and it gives just a good amount of sparkle (well I think so anyway!! LOL) 



Challenges -
Truly Madly Crafty - Anything Goes
Ruby's Rainbow - Something for a child
My Time to Craft - Hugs and Kisses (well - he IS hugging the life out of his train!)
Crafty Boots - Celebrations
The Pink Elephant - Anything Goes


Thanks for visiting - appreciate all of your comments. Will catch up again later.
Have a great day whatever you're doing. x