Winter

Happy Monday! I hope today has been a good start to your week.
Back to inkyness again for today's share.
Have quite enjoyed making some 'scenic' cards this year - OK they're not as accomplished as some of you can do here in blogland but I think I AM getting a little better.

I bought this stamp just before Christmas last year and made a couple of cards with it. This time I tried to make more depth and shadows with the ink (see- told you am getting adventurous!)
Because I wanted a much bigger card than the stamp, I also added another smaller berry branch (another Penny Black stamp) at the end of the fence.
I tried too to give the impression that the fence actually disappeared into the snow - not sure I have managed it but hey!

Images stamped with Versafine Onyx Black.
Used some red Stickles on all the berries - on reflection maybe I should have tried some white Pearlies? Might try that next time if I do another!
Inks used - Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky, Salty Ocean and Weathered Wood.
Have a great day whatever you're doing! 😊x  

Challenges -
Craft Rocket - Winter Time
Time Out - A/Goes with Glitter/Shimmer
4 Crafty Chicks - Winter Wonderland
Allsorts #391 - Anything Christmas
CCC #50 - Anything Christmas
MAWTT - Anything Christmas

Blogger Blues!

Evening everyone! Am not sure I like Blogger supposedly 'improving' things.... changes have not improved anything at all in my book  - a pain in the wotsit if you ask me. Why fix it if it ain't broken???
Anyway, here's a card from me today....

We had snow earlier this week. It lay for a couple of days - not a thick covering but enough so that the sheep in the filed looked like they had midget legs!
The snow there though was white - not Pool Party!
This is something that I saw on Pinterest (where else) and liked the idea so here's my version!

I have not bought any new stash for months and months and the trouble is there's so much new stuff about I have no idea which I really want -  and of course come February am I ever going to have any time to use it?

Hence I don't have any of the stitched dies - so I improvised and used a Dovecraft ruler which has perforated holes in it - which is why they aren't straight!!
Sentiment embossed in white and a bit of silver thread used for the 'tag'.
Just used two different snowflake stamps onto my fave white linen card.
Finished with some sparkly blingy.

Challenges -
Make My Monday - CAS Christmas
Crafty Creations - Christmas
Crafting By Designs- Christmas
Addicted to Stamps - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by - appreciate the visit! x 

Seeing Stars

Happy Saturday!
I have had a mammoth card making fest the last 2 days - day off tomorrow as I am travelling tonight to attend another Presentation in the Midlands, although I may get home tomorrow at a reasonable time - weather permitting!
We've had quite a bit of snow the last 2 days (one of the perils of living so high up!) and the window up here on the top floor is completely covered - although DH has been out this morning and says the roads on the lower levels are fine - we just have to negotiate down to the main road and the motorway!!

I bought these hessian stars last year and found them when looking for something else and I remembered a rustic style card I had seen which used a wooden star - hence an idea. I have no idea why I bought these excepting they were reduced! They are actually I think a little big for cards and probably were intended for a garland or something.

White linen card used as my base.
An Indigo Blu script stamps embossed in gold provided the background and I then randomly dabbed a paintbrush rubbed over an embossing pad to make the smudgy bits!
A couple of star stamps also embossed in gold.

The hessian star was simply stuck on using foam pads so it is a little raised from the card.

The two stars were die cuts which got a triple embossing treatment - serves them right - they were just laying there on the desk.....

I used some gold metallic embroidery thread - this thread was out of my Mum's embroidery stash - (I still have lots of colours left!) but there's something about gold and white that just shouts Christmas to me!!
The sentiment is from SU.
Challenges
4 Crafty Chicks - Fabric
Crimbo Crackers - A/goes
CRAFT - Christmas
Christmas at Sweet Stampin - A/Goes
Daring Cardmakers - Insp by Christmas Carol (Bright Star of Bethlehem - here) 
Stamplorations - Stamp and 3 (my 3 stars!)

Thanks for paying me a call today - hope you are warm and dry wherever you are! x😃

More Trees and a Super Moon!

Hello to you all from a very wet and windy north west of England! Not too warm either!
Have had a couple of free days since my last post - but went to a meeting yesterday -my train was delayed and the very unhelpful Virgin man said I couldn't transfer to another train and had to wait for the delayed one (which was over an hour late). Got myself agitated as I didn't want everyone else to be hanging about waiting for me - eventually managed to get myself on another (quicker) train with the help of a lovely man from Trans Pennine and arrived only 15 minutes late. Unimpressed with the Virgin employee and have complained about him!
Meeting over, uneventful trip home then into PJ's and the craft space for chill out.

Still have a bit of an inky fest going on - so here's another offering.
This time I used a Penny Black stamp called Christmas Park and embossed in white. Running out of White am using it that much at the moment!

Masked off the 'super' moon (actually it's a £2 coin) and underneath the top of the first white boundary line then out with the ink dusters.
Inks were - Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry and Milled Lavender.   Wasn't too sure about pink sky but I quite like it.
The 'pathway' was watercoloured with Pumice Stone

I used a 'hill and mountain' acetate mask for the bottom, lightly dusting the Tumbled Glass DI on the little mounds randomly.
Added a wee bit of glamour dust for sparkle.
Was a bit unhappy about the sentiment - opted to use a grey ink instead of black - it's not quite as sharp as I wanted it but overall am not too upset!

Challenges -
CAS Mix Up - Stamp and Mask
Sparkles Monthly - Christmas is Coming
Cardz4Gals- Contemporary Christmas
Inky Chicks- Winter Wonderland
TIOT - Trees

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

Seeing Stars

A one layer card this morning to share - have done a couple of these in different colours - batch made some for Christmas which I will get round to sharing in a little while, but this one was made for someone who the sentiment fits perfectly.

It has been nice this week being able just to do what I wanted (excepting the housework of course 'cos no one wants to have to do that) - am away again tomorrow for another Presentation but hopefully will be able to share some makes and visit you all sometime today.

Been at it again with the dusters - the inky kind that is. Masked off , dusted then just randomly stamped the stars and gold embossed.
The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday.

It is sooo long since I entered the Less Is More challenge due to my Bowls England commitments but am paying them a visit this week where their theme is One Layer and Books or Literature. So 'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green is  my choice. Am hoping that during the (slightly) calmer winter months I will be able to visit LIM a little more often!

I am sorry about the poor photo quality - it is another grey and damp day here in the North West! The card base is a bright white not the dismal colour as shown here!

Other Challenges -
Alphabet - S for Stars
Country View - Stars
CAS Mix Up November - Masking

Cuppa in hand - am away for a visit to blogland - thanks for looking and have a great day whatever you're doing. x

'Me' Time!

In the absence of Presentations to attend for a few days it's been really nice just doing things for me! And although I really DO need to do some housework/bed changing etc over the next couple of days, I ignored the dust yesterday and sat myself in the craftie space! Today I have had a couple of hours at a nearby indoor just bowling for fun with the OH - and now am firmly back in the craftie space (Dust again ignored.....)

 Result? I am feeling very smug as I am actually making Christmas Cards!!

All CAS, (and there is something very calming about making things uncluttered - just what I need after all the hectic pace of the last 8 months) -most nice and flat for posting - although I confess to adding a few blingy bits here and there on some - which I will share another time -  and the Christmas stash is swelling a little. Long way to go though.

Here's a bit of inky embossed nonsense to share, using up a piece of left over card for the matting.
The stamp is old so can't tell you anything about it!
White embossed then once again the dusters used for inking - I am getting on so much better with these now I have stopped trying to overload them with colour and build up the colour gradually.
The sentiment is a Penny Black one inked in Tumbled Glass DI.

My stocks of plain white card are quite low so time to start on the ton of linen and coloured card I have and not used. Got to make the most of the free time!

Challenges -
Inky Chicks -  Winter Wonderland
Cardz4Guyz- Oh Christmas Tree
TIOT - Trees (green or any other colour)
Holly Jolly - Trees
PB & M - Anything Christmas

Snow is forecast for us tonight -  goodie!! More Crafting Time!!
Thanks for looking today - have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Christmas Sentiments

November is here and our challenge this time at Stamping Sensations is designed to get you going for Christmas if you haven't already started!
The theme is 'Christmas Sentiment' so a nice broad theme - but please remember we need to see stamping as the focal point of your project.  

Please go over to the blog, check out the rules and check out what prize we have up for grabs this challenge as this is a scheduled post!

I am definitely not organised for Christmas- no change there then.....

I have had such a busy year travelling and now am on the round of Annual Presentation Dinners all over the country - so I am using that as my excuse for the distinct lack of Christmas makes this year!


This was a simple card to do.

The trees were stamped using a Brilliance Ink Pad called 'Pearlescent Ice Blue'. It's a gorgeous shade and beautifully iridescent - this pic does not do it justice at all as it has made it look more grey than it actually is!

Stamped and shadow stamped, then through the cuttlebug with the snow embossing folder.
Stazon Dove Grey used for the sentiment - which is one of my fave Christmas stamps as I love the script! Dabbed a little bit of Diamond Stickles round the base of the trees.... got to have some bling!
At least I have made ONE card this year!!
Thanks for looking - have a great day whatever you're doing! x

Other Challenges -
Fashionable Stamping - Trees
CCC #46 - A/Goes
CHC#306 - Anything Christmas

Post updated 7th November - Having a rare relax day today - just got a bit of paperwork to sort then  a day to myself - let's hop Mr Mojo puts in an appearance! x

Sunset

Simply not had any time since my last post - done a lot of travelling in the last week. Snatched a couple of hours this morning and did some inky backgrounds. A lot are for Christmas but I also needed a birthday card for a man.

Am practicing using different Distress Ink colours together and this was one of those combos.
Fired Brick, Festive Berries, Mustard Seed and Squeezed Lemonade.

I also opted to use an Ink Duster this time instead of my sponging.
The landscape die is 'never before used'!
The finished article looks vaguely familiar so it may well be that I have seen one similar somewhere!

The panel was mounted onto white linen card for a bit of texture. Made a bit of a mess of stamping the sentiment but wanted to finish SOMETHING, so not a lot I could do about it!
Keep thinking I will invest in a Misti..... maybe Father Christmas will bring one.

Off to the Playground as both the inked panel and the card used for the die were left overs. (3 weeks in a row - definitely something of a record for me at the moment!).

Other Challenges -
AAA- Masculine CAS
CYP - A/Goes
CFTH - A/Goes
Artistic Inspirations - A/Goes

Hope all is OK in your part of the world  - have a great day whatever you're doing. x