Summer and the mad month ahead

It has been an age since I have been able to find some time to post. I have been busy at British Isles Championships and International series all over the place - the men and women are at different places and times as are the Under 25's!
But the weather was kind (too hot on many occasions) and I have a few days at home before the August madness of the National Championships. A whole month away from my own bed and am hoping that the weather stays dry!

My craft time has been limited to making baubles like they're going out of fashion -(they are really popular and now have mastered the inking and glittering!), catching up with my Design Team inspiration (😏) for the next few months and satisfying my craving to make a few cards for the stash.

Thought this image from All Dressed Up was awesome and I have enjoyed using it!
Background created on watercolour card.
Sky ink duster brushed with Tumbled Glass - I made the 'clouds' template by using scalloped scissors!
The sea was watercoloured in shades of blue and the sand was also watercoloured using Scattered Straw DI. I randomly overstamped with a stamp from Inkylicious

The girl on the deck chair was coloured with Promarkers. On reflection I should have printed her out on watercolour card also instead of the plain white card which necessitated the promarkers rather than my paints.
I coloured her in, cut her out and popped her onto the beach!
The sentiment is a NBUS and I thought it fitted perfectly.

Ironing and packing are the order of the day for tomorrow and then I will be off. I hopefully though will be able to get some internet where I am staying (although it is a little remote - in glorious countryside so I can relax away from the greens).
Thank you for continuing to come and visit and leave me comments - I love hearing from you. x 

Joining in at
ADU July - Anything Goes
Craft Rocket - Summer
MMM - Coloured Image
Sisterhood of Crafters - Summer Vacation
PIP - Summer Days

CAS Mix Up

Happy Wednesday!
I am a little bit like a bus aren't I? Not been around for over a week then 2 posts at once!
(if you've popped over from the Stamping Sensations blog please scroll down to the next post to see the mid month DT card!)

I love Loll's CAS challenges but during my busy summer season it takes me all my time to do my own DT cards and no time left for anything else.... but I did find time this month for the CAS MIX UP which has the challenge of Colouring Die Cuts, Stamping and any other choice. Loll and the rest of the DT are inspiring - they make beautiful cards!

I have had the birdie die cuts for a little while and this just popped into my head.
I sponged the background using Distress Inks and stamped the flower panel. On reflection maybe this would have been more CAS if I'd left the background and just embossed a wood panel? Hope it's CAS enough for the challenge......

The birdies were coloured with Black Soot, Peacock Feathers and Fossilized Amber.
I think maybe I should have coloured him in a brighter colour looking at the pic but in real life he stands out OK!

I had the card all planned out in my head but then ------
The sentiment drove me mad - I had this sentiment on a stamp - could I find it???? 😠😠 Have absolutely no idea where it went. After wasting lots of precious time hunting I gave up and printed it out.

Am linking up with
HLS Dies - A./Goes with Dies
Fashionable Stamping - Use Your Inks
Crafty Sentiments - Add a Sentiment
Dream Valley - All things Bright + Beautiful

I will be AWOL again after today until middle of next week but will catch up with everybody whenever I can. Have a great week/weekend whatever you are doing - me ? I will be once again at an International Series!! (Hoping the sun continues to shine!) x

A Mid Month Reminder!

This is the first time I have been able to join in with our Mid Month reminders at Stamping Sensations (it's also likely to be the last for a couple of months too!).

This was a really quick card to make - and I used one of my fave sentiments stamps - cos it suits me very well!

I used a coloured card base for a change - it's not often I use up any of my coloured card!

The background is DP. I loved it 💗, bought it 😦 and have looked at it for a long long time 😉😉. (Years in fact).
So I steeled myself and used it.😱

Just quick and simple, mounted it onto white card, used the Poppy Border stamp, a couple of dragonflies and the sentiment - all embossed with white EP.
A few blingy bits and a little 'schparklie' on the dragonflies wings and finished.

Our theme this month is 'In My Garden'.
If you haven't joined us yet there's still time and you could win a fab prize from our wonderful sponsor CRAFTY INDIVIDUALS - so what are you waiting for??!!

If you still need some ideas, hop over to the challenge blog and have a look at the DT's mid months too - if you have time, please leave a comment - we love to hear from you!

I am joining in at -
Country View Crafts - In My Garden
CDTOC - A/Goes
CHPP - A/Goes with Patterned Paper
Daisy Chain - Summer

Dreaming of Christmas?

Spare time once again evaded me this week and it does not seem 8 days since my last post!
A share from my 'Drafts' folder today as no card making been done at all this week.
Here is the confession - THIS IS THE ONLY CHRISTMAS CARD I HAVE MADE THIS YEAR!!!!
So no doubt once again I shall be madness itself nearer the time...

I have a collection of these window dies. Like most dies I have bought they are hardly used😔😔.... my crafting seems to go in phases.. Stamps, Dies, Fussy, CAS and I never have quite decided on the one that fits me best.

Behind the window die is the tiniest bit of watercolour card, stamped with some teeny trees and heat embossed.
Was a bit fiddly but eventually managed to get the tree placement right.

The holly die was simply coloured and re-assembled and I added some glossy accents onto the berries and a bit of blingy before adding it to a piece of folded card for the window ledge.
 I used the brick embossing folder for the background as I thought it looked a little 'flat'.
So one made - only another zillion to go!

The weather has been so warm it's hard to think of Christmas and I suppose that I won't think of it again now until November!
Hope the sun is shining where you are and you are not fed up with the sunshine - thanks for popping in today. x
Challenges -
Kitty Bee - Christmas In July
CAS on Friday - Christmas In July
Xmas @ Sweet Stampin - Anything Christmas
Crafters Castle - Christmas in July
CHNC -  Anything Christmas plus a die

Beautiful

Having been at home since the middle of the week I have had some time to relax and enjoy the glorious weather. Although it's been too hot for me at times I have really enjoyed seeing blue skies and sunshine - long may it continue!
Have a share today using one of my Technique Tuesday fave stamps - Cherry Blossom.

I love this stamp. When I was a child we had a huge cherry blossom tree in the garden. I used to climb it!
It was so pretty when it was in flower - but drove my poor Mum to distraction when the blossom started to drop all over the garden!

I stamped onto a small piece of watercolour paper in Abandoned Coral DI then misted the paper and simply splashed about with a watercolour brush.

Added some gold Liquid Pearls and cut out with a stitched rectangles die.
It looked a little 'lost' on the background linen textured card so I cut out a slightly larger rectangle. Used 3d foam pads to raise it up.


Quite happy with this one!

Am popping over to the following challenges -
Crafters Cafe - Keep It Simple
Flower Challenge - Monochrome
CAS on Friday - Splash of Watercolour
Fussy and Fancy - Pretty in Pink
A2S+M - CAS
HLS Watercolour - Anything Goes

Quick update - Miss Di has allowed me to join in at the Playground this time round as I was too late for last challenge last night and too early for the one that started today - she's a nice person our Miss Di - and I promise I won't spray anyone with the hose pipe.....! xx.

Thank you for looking and for leaving any comments. I appreciate it!
Enjoy the weather! x

Stamping Sensations July Challenge

This month at Stamping Sensations we have the wonderful Crafty Individuals as our sponsors.
Our theme is called 'In My Garden' and here is my DT card -
 I really enjoyed making this as it gave me another opportunity to practice my scene constructing!
And it also reminded me of the garden in our last house which was big and pretty! Along with the house I also inherited a huge dovecote - (no doves, just their house!).
Although I didn't have a dovecote stamp, this little bird house evoked memories of my much loved (but very labour intensive) garden.
The bird house stamp is a set of 2 - the second one is much smaller and I have had them for a long time so no idea which company they are from.

Used Stormy Sky, Peeled Paint and Forest Moss for the background with a little touch of Squeezed Lemonade around the sun. Inked the edges of the whole panel with Forest Moss too.

The stamps are a mixture from SU's Wild About Flowers and others from my stash.
The branches are by Inkylicious as are the birds. (I made a bit of a mess of the bird on the house - although I used the Misti, I must have moved the card slightly when stamping for the second time-  but dear husband says it's not too bad as it looks like said birdie is flapping his wings! Don't you love him - forever trying to make me feel better!)

Please have a look at the Challenge Blog and follow our rules before submitting your entry. We are a stamping challenge - and you MUST have a stamp as the FOCAL point of your creation!
If you can find time to visit my teamies and leave them a comment too, that would be really appreciated!
I am linking up at
Dragonfly Dreams - Summer
Sweet Stampin' - Summer Brights
4 Crafty Chicks - Summer is Here
Cardz 4 Galz - Summer Sunny Days

Thanks for visiting. x