A trip

Happy Sunday everyone! Although the weather here is far from happy - it's blowing a gale and the rain is lashing down!
Not that I am too concerned as I shall be in the sunshine tomorrow (I hope!) - more of that later.....
Had some odd scraps of watercolour paper so decided to use them up - and as they're scraps I am away to the Playground (have my wellies and my sou'wester on....)

The stamp is one I have had for a while from Crafty Individuals and I decided to smoosh the watercolour paper with colours that I thought the flowers should be then hopefully be able to position the stamp over the top so that the colours were roughly in the right place.

The green DI is Mowed Lawn, the blue is Mermaid Lagoon and the yellow Fossilized Amber and I was pretty happy with the resulting smooshing as the stamps with a little bit of fiddling ended up in the right place.

I then painted over odd bits of the images with the same colours to give a bit more definition.
Mounted the panels onto black card.
The card base has a script vellum overlay - another paper pack I have had for ages -  I thought it picked up the script background of the stamp (and it saved me stamping and embossing the card base!!!👌).
Stamped the simple sentiment onto the smallest piece of paper ever and shaped it like a tag, punching a small hole in the top, wrapped some white organza ribbon round the vellum and tied the tag onto it.

Challenges -
Inkspirational - Smooshing
CAS Mix Up - Smooshing/Stamping/Vellum
HLS Watercolour - A/Goes with option of Smooshing

I shall be absent from visits for a little while - as my first Presidential tour starts tomorrow so sunnier climes for me! (And the 65 others coming too!) 
I am hoping that Mr Blogger behaves himself and publishes my scheduled DT post and hope that you will not forget me whilst I am gone (I mean - How could you??????!!!!!!!) 

A new try....

Finally galvanised myself into action - well sat and got some inks out anyway!
I have seen many cards where the creator has done a 'baby wipe' technique and I have never tried it. (mainly because I don't know anyone with a baby so I could steal the wipes.......😀😀)
I DO have some wipes that I use for cleaning my desk and after studying the packet - it said bleach free, so thought I would experiment and see if it worked - hey- the worst it could do was wreck an ink pad wasn't it???

Armed with a piece of watercolour paper and the said wipe I found the oldest (and shabbiest) of my Distress Inks (working on the basis that there was hardly any ink left in it and the edges were all shabby so no point re-inking) I put wipe to pad and began.
I began to get a little excited as it was actually working - added bonus it didn't seem to be having the Ink Pads screaming out in agony either!.

Once first colour on, (Antique Linen), applied some Tea Dye (not from a tea bag, but an ink pad 😏) across the middle and the bottom of the paper.
Weathered Wood came next - little dabs in the 'sky' and on the space left between the Tea Dye.
Tree stamps inked in Pumice Stone.

Left without any sentiment as have no idea what I am going to use it for - No doubt will add it on later when I have to find an emergency card!
I would welcome any comments from anyone but particularly from those clever bods who have perfected this technique and any tips would be useful - I found it quite enjoyable to do and am quite happy with the first attempt - might have another go today!

Sharing this with  -
Happy Little Stampers - March Watercolour- Anything Goes
1 Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes
613 Ave Create - Anything Goes
A.I - Let's Watercolour
Sweet Stampin - Anything But a Birthday

Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

An entire week....almost!

So it's now almost an entire week since my last blog post and I have done...... not a lot. Not a lot Craft wise anyway. Have done tons of other stuff and then when I have come up here and sat myself in the chair cannot think of a single thing to do!

I've got Yupo paper coloured with alco inks, sponged bits of card and lots of bitty things sitting here on the desk looking forlorn and unloved and waiting for some action.... and still I haven't managed anything - apart from this one card.

And this was only made as I found the stamped image in a drawer!
The stamp is an old La Blanche one given to me by a crafting friend about 7 years ago - can tell it's never been used in this house as it still stamps beautifully!

So in the absence of creative moments, I simply coloured it in soft colours using watercolour pencils, picking the paint up from the craft mat rather than applying the pencil direct to the card.
I resisted the impulse to paint the sky and just left the image to stand on it's own.
I was going to make it a Sympathy card for the stash box, but it somehow ended up as a Thank You!
It's not going to set the world on fire as creativeness goes and it didn't really satisfy my craving to do something but it's a make all the same!

I am going to have to get the brain cells going over the next couple of days as at the end of the week the madness starts in earnest and then there definitely won't be any time for making - and I want to be able to schedule some posts other than those for the Design Team!
Sharing this make at -
Sweet Stampin - Anything but a birthday
Alphabet - Z for Zero embellies
Flower Challenge - Anything Goes
 
Thanks for being here - hope your weekend is a good one! x

Close to Nature

Time for another challenge at Stamping Sensations - this month our theme is 'CLOSE TO NATURE' and if you pop over to the challenge blog you will see the fab prize we have on offer and some delights that the DT have produced to inspire you.  
TRUST ME - YOU WILL WANT TO HAVE A CHANCE AT WINNING THE A-MA-ZING PRIZE THIS MONTH!!
Please remember - WE ARE A STAMPING CHALLENGE - AND WE NEED TO SEE STAMPING AS THE FOCAL POINT OF YOUR PROJECT. 

I decided it was time for a change so I have made a large tag this month!
It may end up of the front of a card at some point...

Inkiness all over the place here.... Rusty Hinge, Old Paper, Antique Linen DI applied with duster brushes all over the tag first.

Script stamp from Indigo Blu inked in Vintage Sepia, stamped on an odd piece to remove excess then stamped onto the tag.
'Chicken Wire' stamp applied the same way.

Flower from SU's Butterfly Basics coloured with Peacock Feather DI mixed with a little bit of cosmic shimmer, a dab of orange in the centre, Forest Moss DI for the leaves  and then the sentiment stamped in Versamark Espresso Truffle Ink.
The word 'beautiful' was a stamp waiting to be put away and just laying on the desk - so I used it!!

The butterfly is also from Indigo Blu. Stamped, coloured it with a little  Peacock Feather DI then fussy cut. Popped it up onto the tag with 3D foam for dimension.
Finished it all off with a triple seam binding bow.

Challenges
Go Tag Thursday - Butterflies
Creative Stamper - Springtime
Craft Rocket - No Patterned Paper
Sweet Stampin - No designer paper
PB & More - A/Goes

Hope you will join in with us this month! Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Uninspired!

I have had a non productive week as far as anything crafty is concerned as I have been busy with lots of admin stuff.
As with all things mojo-wise when you are busy doing other things I have struggled to make anything and desperate for some inkiness card I began an internet trawl.
I thank the person who came up with the CAS idea in the first place as it allowed me to make 2 cards - both the same design but in different colours.

These are going into my stash and hopefully will get sold for my charity sometime this season.

The design ticks the boxes for me at the moment - I need CAS, which will not cost the earth to make, nor cost the earth to post  -  I can sell for just the same price as the card cost me to make and am keeping my fingers crossed that the low prices will encourage people to buy more!

I don't have a family who I can arm-twist into purchase so rely heavily on people I know!
These had to be 2 of the quickest cards I have made but I quite like them!

Thanks for visiting - will be round to see you all very soon - but for now back to the paperwork!

Challenges -
Star Stampz - Monochrome
Crafty Gals Corner - Add Ribbon
Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes
The Crafty Addicts - A./Goes - CAS