Special Day!

Over at Pixie's Snippets Playground, Di 👸 recently celebrated her SEVENTH anniversary as Headmistress of Pixie's, having taken over at the beginning of 2012 from the lovely Jules!
Fancy having to put up with us lot for that long!! 🙈🙈😁😁
If you don't know about the Playground 😞 (and I can't believe you don't!!)  and fancy joining in this fortnightly challenge, all you need to do is bring your creation with at least one element made with a snippet ~ that is a scrap/left-over/tiny tatty bit of paper left lying on the desk!

I have made many friend in blogland over the last hundred years (actually it's 13 but I thought that may be unlucky......) and Di is one of them.
Darnell has set up a Linky Party for all of Di's friends to get together en mass to thank her for all she has done for us all these years!

To play along, please post a card and thank Di on your blog, and then go visit Darnell and link your card on this post.

So in honour of Di  here's a snippet make for this week.
Textured card left over from the previous make made into two squares. Smaller one inked with Scattered Straw and Tumbled Glass DI.
A little bit of shadow stamping and some Gold Pearl used on the top of the bolder flowers, a few birdies and a sentiment stamp especially for Di.

Also sharing at
Allsorts - Friends
ATCAS - Friends
Time Out - Inspirational Quote (Friends)

I am away for my penultimate duty as part of the Bowls England Presidential Team this week, so will catch up with you all when I get back (providing the kitchen fitters have not demolished the house) - thanks for visiting me - Have a great week! x

Rainbows

The Card Concept  has an inspirational pic of Rainbow Cupcakes (HERE) which matched an inked background made for another project that I never completed (😏😏)- and thinking back I had made 2 cards using a die cut and the negative left over.

So my original idea (which was just shades of blue), the yummy cupcake pic and a trawl through my 'card ideas' folder' produced this! (I cannot credit for it as the link no longer exists, but the addition of the 2 strips down the side of the white textured card were from the ideas folder).

I cut out two flower dies from the inked panel and another from the white, and using the negative from the white positioned it so you couldn't see where the coloured flowers had been cut from.  So no waste!
 
I really like the vibrant hues to this make although I think maybe I should have used a different colour instead of the Pistachio at the bottom but overall am happy.

Sharing this over at
Crafty Creations - A/Goes
Creative Crafters - A/Goes
HLS (Dies) - A/Goes

It has been a bit of a dusty week here.
Dear husband and a friend took up the kitchen floor in preparation for a complete kitchen makeover which starts next week and is expected to not be completed for 3 weeks.
The very large tiles that were down were 'a bit of a 'pig' to get up'  (I've cleaned that up a bit 'cos that's NOT the word dear husband used) and the dust created got everywhere despite best efforts to contain it - even onto the craft desk etc which are on the 3rd floor!
Happily for me I will not be here next week when the wall tiles are removed (more dust) and the re-plastering commences - sometimes a duty at Bowls England CAN be a blessing!
Hope all is well in your part of blogland! x

Happy

For a flower that is associated with sadness and Remembrance it probably says a lot about me that -  Poppies make me happy. I don't know why but they do!
I love to see the wild ones in the fields and hedgerows and when I had a big garden in my other house I had lots of poppies! California Yellow and Oriental Blue and of course Red. There is something so delicate about them and although there are many flowers that I like, poppies are right there amongst my favourites.


This card was inspired by a talented lady called TaeEun.
The poppy stamp is from Technique Tuesday as is the sentiment (same set). I stamped and clear embossed them both onto some smooth cream card.
Used Candied Apple DI to colour the flowers and some Mowed Lawn for the centres.
The inking at the bottom is Shabby Shutters.
I made a few splats onto base white card and then after fussy cutting the cream panel simply popped it onto the card base.
I am happy with the way it turned out although my colouring isn't a patch on TaeEun's!

Blue and Silver

The challenge at CAS Christmas this month is Blue and Silver. 

I only wish that the taking of the pic of this card was a quick as it was to make. I have had a pig of a job trying to get a photo that didn't have a real icy blue tinge on it.

However, several hours after the first pic attempt I have finally got a reasonable one!

I took some fern and pine needle stamps, inked them in Versa Summer Sky and just stamped randomly at the bottom and sides of the card.

The 'Snowberry' is from an old Elusive Images (Chocolate Baroque) set  and heat embossed in silver.
Some of the berries are simple outlines so I added some silver Nuvo Crystal drops to the larger ones.

The die is a new purchase (a bargain!) and I silver embossed that too after cutting out.

So into the stash for Christmas - not a bad idea to try and do a couple of cards each month -  I doubt if I will stick to it but will try!

We have had some snow showers today, although nothing has stuck but boy is it cold! So perhaps the blue/silver combo is just right for today!
Hope you are warm wherever you are!

Joining in at
SSS (Wednesday) - CAS
A2S+M - CAS
ABC Christmas - B for Berries
Christmas @Sweet Stampin - Anything Christmas
Craft Rocket - Winter

Mid Month at Stamping Sensations

Our challenge at Stamping Sensations is 'Fabulously Feminine'.

I was sent this Stampin Bella stamped image by one of my friends after drooling over it - see -  if you annoy someone enough they give in to shut you up! 😂😂

 Showing no shame either I also copied the same colour scheme!

 Seriously tho' I really do love it so thank you (you know who you are x).

I used Promarkers to colour - Poppy and Ruby for the jacket,  Apricot and Honeycomb for her skirt.
I had some tiny black gems so they doubled as buttons.

I fussy cut her out (not a job I am going to repeat!) and popped her onto a Sun Ray embossed background which I thought was perfect for the sentiment using foam pads so she stood out.

We have an amazing prize this month - please visit the challenge blog to check out what it is, and
PLEASE read and follow our rules before linking up.
If you don't follow our rules the DT can't comment on your entry and then you can't be in with a chance of winning!

Sharing at
Cardz 4 Galz - Dimensional Element
I love Promarkers - A/goes
Crafty Creations - A/goes

CAS Mix up - Mid month reminder

It's middle of the month and time for a reminder for the CAS Mix Up challenge.
Was so proud to have been asked to be guest designer this month and I have enjoyed revisiting the long forgotten technique of Bokeh. (be warned - there are more made yet to share!)

For my mid month post I have gone for coloured Bokeh instead of the usual white on a darker inked background as I did for my first post here

I used a stencil I made myself from acetate and circle dies and selected 3 shades of ink in soft pastel colours.
Inking then commenced!
When done I cut it out with a wavy stitched die.

The sentiment is a Technique Tuesday die and stamp and I finished my card front with a flower die before layering it onto the base card.

 Still time to have a go and join us - and lots of inspiration to be had over at the blog!

I am sharing this with -
Alphabet Challenge-  Use stitching (my frame die)
Crafty Calendar - Make it Flowery
CAS on Friday - Flowers
HLS January - A/G with Dies
Crafters Castle - A/G + Fun Technique

Happy Thoughts

A simple and quick CAS card to share today but the pic quality is not the best as once again it is a grey damp and windy day!

I promised myself that I would try to enter the new challenge at CAS Stencils this month.

This brand new challenge is all about playing with stencils and learning how to use stencils with different techniques and different products.
It aims to make us stretch our stencils and if like me you don't own many this can only be a good thing as it will give me the opportunity to try what few I have in different ways.

The first challenge is the basic 'Sponging' technique and my other 2 choices are Stamping and Die Cutting.
I sponged my little circle stencil (a magazine freebie I only bought the magazine as it had 4 free stencils! ) with Squeezed Lemonade DI.  As it is only small I had to move it around to re position a few times.

I then stamped the SU black grid and the tiny splats which had been stamped once on scrap paper before stamping onto the card so they weren't too harsh.

The black butterfly was die cut from some black pearlised card and the sentiment is from Technique Tuesday.
Matted onto black card before popping onto the card base.

Joining in at
Creatilicious - Something New (and that's my stencil!)
Crafty Catz - A/Goes
Cardz 4 Galz - New Stash

Thanks for looking today. Enjoy your weekend. x

A Commission!

Over the last couple of years I have rarely made any commissioned cards due to lack of time but a few months ago a close friend asked me to make her a baby card.
Her daughter had given up all hope of ever becoming a Mum so it was much excitement and trepidation all round when they got the news that she was expecting -  not least because in the normal course of things she was considered 'past the age' !!!
(In her 40's! -positively ancient 😲😲!!)

Baby Zach entered the world yesterday so I now can share the card.

I opted for a relatively simple card using an old image from Sugar Nellie - I have had this for a long time and it is one of my favourites - not least because I am pretty useless at shading and this stamp already has it.

Pearlised card used for it all - the embossed background was a piece I had cut out at some time and never used so I just tidied up the edges.
The oval (another odd piece of card!) is of course a Spellbinders die, and I inked the edges in Tumbled Glass DI.
Baby was coloured with Promarkers

The sentiment and the corners also inked were cut from some snippets of pearlised card.
The lace, ribbon and heart charm all from my stash.
Oh and here's Zach!

 Popping over to the Playground to see what everyone has been up to.

Also joining in at  
TIOT - Something Old (Image)/New (Baby!)
PB&M- New beginnings
Fab n Funky - New Beginnings
Cupcake Insp - New

We are having 2 new external doors fitted today - woke up to thick frost this morning - the poor workmen are frozen.... me - I'm tucked away in the Craftie Space at the top of the house with the heating on!! 
Oh and here's Zach!

Have a good day whatever you're doing! x

A new challenge year at Stamping Sensations!

It's time for our first challenge of 2019 at Stamping Sensations and this month we have a terrific prize for someone - full details at the bottom of the post!

Our first theme this year is   'FABULOUSLY FEMININE - suitable for a lady'.  
Lots of scope for you to create something pretty!

So here we are -

Quite a change for me to do 'frilly'! Just lately I have been leaning towards more CAS cards simply because they don't cost as much to post!

Lots of coloured card in this craftie space and immediately someone says 'girly', I reach for Pink! The next sheet in the pile was a scrummy dark chocolate brown colour and they looked OK together!
I stamped and clear embossed the flower (SU) onto the pink background card.
Then stamped it twice more onto white card and once again on the scrap of pink left over from the base, using a brown ink.
Assembled it all onto another scrap of pink card before layering it.
Finished with a large brown bow and a couple of pearlies!

Now about our prize - just in case you didn't get enough crafty stash over Christmas we're giving someone the opportunity this month to win a STAMP BUNDLE!

Ten stamps (yes I did say TEN) go to the person our Design Team vote as their winner this month - how can you resist?? 😍😍

Please follow our challenge rules and make stamping the focal point of your project! Look forward to visiting you to see what you make!

Joining in at
Simply Create Too - A/Goes
Creations in Pink - A/Goes
ABMTTC - A/Goes
CDTCB - Open Challenge #1
Craft-Dee Bowz - A/Goes

Guest Designer at CAS Mix Up!

Super excited to have been invited to be the Guest Designer over at CAS Mix Up this month after winning the November challenge, although I did have to think a bit as the technique is one I haven't done for a long time!

But as I started to do my Bokeh background I wondered why I had hadn't done these backgrounds on more things!
Bokeh is a simple technique really - so there is no excuse for me not doing it more often! And you can use a variety of mediums to create the effect.

I used Distress Inks in shades of Cracked Pistachio, Mermaid Lagoon and Stormy Sky for my background and a White pigment ink for the circles.

Originally I was going to make my own circle stencil but then I remembered I had this one by Inkylicious called 'Bubbles'.

I had no idea what I was going to do until I finished the background and then the card just came together.

The colours which are amongst my fave DI's just reminded me of the sea so Miss Mermaid seemed to be appropriate!
She is from a freebie stamp set which I have had for ages and never used.

I stamped her sat on her rocks twice onto white card and fussy cut. I had to extend the rocks as they weren't big enough to cover the whole of the card base!
I coloured her with the same Distress Inks mixed with a bit of Golden Malachite and Tropic Blue Cosmic Shimmer Powders - her tail is lovely and shimmery! 

Popped her rock seat on small foam pads, slid the background in behind then sat her back on top.
Finished off with a couple of Dew Drops and a sentiment from the same set which I rather liked.

There it is - my GD card - Bokeh, Stamping and my choice was watercolouring!
There are plenty of Bokeh tutorials on You Tube if you've never tried it - and it would be lovely if you could join in - you can see some wonderful examples from the talented lot on the Mix Up DT over on the blog.
Happy Crafting and Happy New Year!x