Where is Spring?

Woke up this  morning to a covering of snow outside. Does the weather not know this is almost MAY??? Yesterday we had hailstones and thunderstorms and this morning snow. Ridiculous!
So dreaming of sunnier times I made this -

I had a small piece of watercolour card left over so used it!

Smooshing with Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry DI's with a teeny bit of Squeezed Lemonade which hasn't shown up very well in the pic but is very subtle on the actual panel.

The stamps are Inkylicious 'Humming Bird Garden'.
Matted onto black then onto the already matted base card with 3d pads.
The sentiment is (as those of you who follow me regularly will know!) one of my bestest bestest favourites!

Heating is on and I may have to venture out for food... (cos there's none in the kitchen!) - other than that I ain't budging from the craftie space!
(Apart from a quick visit to the Playground to see if Sarn has some warming soup or even better some hot choccie topped with cream and marshmallows!)

Other Challenges -
Sweet Stamping - Pink and Girlie
OSAAT - A/Goes with Wings
Crafty Creations - Black/White/Colour
Simon Says Stamp - A/Goes
Crafty Gals Corner - A/Goes

Thanks for having a look today - Hoping you are all warm and dry wherever you are! x

Sunny Days?

We have had almost a week now of sunny skies - all change yesterday afternoon when it became really cold again and this morning we even had a snow shower!  Thankfully it didn't last nor did the snow stick!

Perhaps inspired by the sunny skies I was prompted to make a 'summery' card.
(I have a vague notion that this may have been similar one seen somewhere else so if it is I thank you for the idea!).
I make my own card bases so am sometimes left with odd sized pieces which are too small when folded to make note cards - I try to use up those pieces for stamping and layering and for trying out inky colour sponging! 

This piece was masked off with the post it notes (whatever did we do before them!) and inked with a Versamark ink called Key Lime. (The dark shadow on the right of the panel was an accident - I think there was some ink on the recycled post it hence the smudgy bit - but I thought it looked OK so just carried on!

The Indigo Blu script stamp was inked with Memento Pear Tart as was the sentiment.
The Queen Anne Lace stamps were inked in SU's Calypso Coral and I ran DI pen Shabby Shutters over the top along the stems - hence the different stem colours!
Matted it onto some other left over coloured cardstock and added a lime green shoestring knotted ribbon.

Challenges -
CAS on Sunday - Floral/Stamp/Ribbon
Creative Corner - Words
Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes
Classic Design Team -  Ch#1 Anything Goes

I was requested yesterday to make a card for a wedding. Sounds fine doesn't it? Until the next sentence was - they are in their fifties, he likes model trains and she is a musician who plays several instruments so please incorporate those elements? I have visions of a groom driving a train on a musical note scale railway track and the bride sitting on the train engine whilst playing the violin... only problem is I have no idea how I am going to achieve this!!!! Oh Joy.....
Have a great day! xx

A Quickie!

I found a scrap piece of card obviously leftover from something else -can't remember what! - just shows how tidy this desk is doesn't it? It could have been there for the best part of year or more - it was tucked away under a box of coloured cardstock which I bought last year!

Anyway I quite liked the colours I'd used to sponge it so decided to use it up.

The challenge at Less Is More is to use 3 stamps or the same stamp 3 times. Well I obviously used the same stamp and more than 3 times - BUT I did use 3 different coloured inks (White embossed, Forest Moss and Crushed Olive) so am hoping that counts - if not then I hope I will be forgiven!
The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted.

Had a lovely day out today at the amazing Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens in Ripon. Weather here has been glorious - warm and sunny and it must have been warm cos dear husband took off his sweater and walked round in his shirt sleeves!!
Was really nice to see some blue skies too!

Other Challenges -
AAA - Anything Goes
Pixies Snippets Playground Week 225

Weather forecast is for another sunny day tomorrow so hope to get out and about once I've done the washing! Hope the sun is shining where you are. x

Friday!

The stamps in the SU 'Easy Events' set are small but are really good for making quick small notecards. Instead of making a small 3" square card like I intended I somehow ended up with this!

I had a little play with the flower 'thank you' stamp.
Stamped it several times in a line along a sheet of card  and coloured it using Cracked Pistachio DI.

Loaded the brush and flicked the paint across the card to get the tiny blobs.
Cut out the squares with a nestie then matted before layering onto the base card.
Greeting also stamped with Cracked Pistachio DI.

This must have looked OK cos when one of my friends saw it she took it straight away to put into her 'just in case I need one quickly' drawer!!

Instead of chopping up the stamped panel next time I think I will have a line of these cheerful little petals perhaps stamped onto an inked background...... and should I have highlighted one of the flowers on each of the tiles with some glossy accents???
(Just thinking out loud!!!)

Challenges -
Creative Corner - Spring Flowers
CRAFT - CAS
MAWTT - Spring Flowers
C4AS - Bingo (Flowers/Stamp/Girly)
Paper Shelter - Flowers everywhere

Had some reasonable weather this week and we have managed to get out and about a couple of days. Today however we are back to the usual grey skies and rain!
Hopefully the weekend will be drier! Enjoy your weekend! x   

Sunshine!

My worst fears were not realised thankfully and yesterday was a lovely bright and sunny day - even though it was cold!
 My blog followers will remember me saying that I didn't have any sympathy cards in my stash when I needed one and I have made quite a few since my tiled effort here.

Sharing another one today and I have now got a small obsession with white embossing and watercolouring - so there's likely to be a few more in a similar vein!

There was something quite therapeutic in making a card which I hope is all about serenity and simplicity.

The stamp is one of the very first sets I bought and am not sure if the company is still in existence.
It's seen ink only rarely which is a shame as it could be used for lots of occasions not just condolence (note to self - make a batch of CAS note cards with this stamp set!)

I used Dusty Concord Distress Ink for the SU sentiment and watercolour pastels for the flower.
Can I say that I like it? I do like it! (Although my watercolouring of the leaves mightn't be the best!!!)

Challenges
CAS on Sunday - Flowers
CASology - Key Word 'Sprout'
Just Add Ink - Sympathy
Allsorts - Purple Passion
Stampin Boutique - Flowers
Simply Create Too - Purple + Green

Thanks again to everyone who visits and leaves comments. Really appreciate you all! x

April snow!

Was a lovely morning then suddenly at about 6pm it began to ..... SNOW!!! Can't believe it - it's the Club's SUMMER Opening Day tomorrow and we had snow tonight! Thankfully it didn't stick but I wish Spring would hurry up and show it's face.

I am a bit of a 'lurker' at a challenge blog called 'The Card Concept'. I love the inspiration given by the DT who have a diverse range of styles and limitless ideas!

I have occasionally entered their challenges - this week I wanted to enter 'cos not only is it their 2nd Birthday but also because I really liked the photo!

So keeping the music script and the blingy in my mind I set to and made a card based on another I had made as a commission for a friend some time ago to give to a pianist friend who was going through a bad time.

The stamp set is I think by Hero Arts and I have had it for years!
Just kept clean lines and sufficient white space to satisfy the CAS look I think.
 I used white linen card for the base and the blingy is from my stash.
The original photo is here and hope I have done it justice!

As I used up odd bits for the stamped large spotty circle and the smaller script circle and a larger off cut for the music paper I am sneaking into the Playground after lights out and seeing if there's any mischief I can get up to then blame someone else!

It's been nice having this time at home recently. I had forgotten how therapeutic it is sitting here cutting up bits of paper and opening ink pads!

Am making up for the summer months and me being absent again by posting as often as I can now!
Thanks for looking today! x  

Maybe not CAS enough?

Have had a week of doing lots of bitty stuff.... and feeling like I haven't really achieved anything! Made inky messy and a few background panels but then Mr Mojo went walkabout so they're all here piled on the desk looking very sad!
Made a Birthday Card last night for a friend tho' - so will share it.

First Confession - I do not like yellow!
Second Confession - I think this looks OK!
Third Confession - I wanted this to be CAS but am not sure it is CAS enough!

Used SU's Daffodil Delight ink for the wood stamp (also SU), for the flower heads (Clearly Besotted) and the greeting.
Green stems/tiny leaves inked in Certainly Celery.
Some twine and a couple of pearls - all done!


Even better, I used up some yellow card which has been laying about for ages!
I am trying to be a little more adventurous with using different coloured inks for stamping and to everyone out there who has given me inspiration to leave the black ink alone and do something different - thank you!

Challenges
Cardz 4 Galz- Springtime
Double D - Yellow
CASology - Cue Word 'Sprout'
CAS on Sunday - Flowers

It actually feels like Spring here today - some blue sky for a change (although the temperatures are not up to much!). Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

White Space but not white!

Just lately I have made and posted a card only to find a couple of days later that it would have fitted the challenge theme at Less Is More! And then to compound my frustration I haven't any time (or ideas) to make another one!!
Happened again this week when the challenge posted was 'white space but not white' and my grey tiled effort HERE posted on Thursday would have fitted!
But this week I did found a spare hour to make one to submit

This really IS a CAS card, inspired by Pinterest and made in super quick time. I have already started on a couple more with different coloured bases and may bundle them together for note cards, hence the absence of any sentiment.
The textured coloured cardstock in my stash has been very much neglected in favour of white and cream so this challenge was a good opportunity to dig it out!
I used a flourish embossing folder across the centre of the card to break up the expanse of black.
The little 'tile' was made using odd scraps of white and aqua card.
The white piece was stamped with an Indigo Blu script stamp in Versafine Smokey Gray (stamped onto another scrap piece first to remove some of the ink). I used Versamagic Oasis Green for the butterfly stamp (found amongst a pile of old stuff but just the right size!)
Just layered the stamped bit onto the aqua then onto a scrap of black and mounted with foam pads.
Quick, simple and am happy!
Calling into the Playground with my make and also making a call to Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. x
 

For the Girls

This months challenge at Stamping Sensations is 'ONE FOR THE GIRLS' and we have PDA as our sponsors who once gain have offered a great prize - £40 to spend at their online store!
Get out a stamp and come and join us!
I have done a shabby vintagey girly card as my DT offering this month -

I decided it was time to get out the sewing machine again and stitched the layers of papers from the Sweet Paris paper pad.
The stamp used for the focal point of the card was (I think) a free one with a magazine. Coloured it with Distress Inks.
The wooden frame was also coloured with DI (Victorian Velvet).
I stamped the Tower and fussy cut. The doily, lace and pins were all from my stash and I finished it off by adding a metal frame and a couple of pearls.
Inside decorated to match.

Other Challenges -
AYLI - Bingo board (Fussy/Lace/Pearls - cos I like vintage and shabby!)
MTTC - Girly
CCCE - Paris
ABC - E is for Everything

Thanks for looking - have a great day! x