In the Garden

It has been a week where I have felt that I have been incredibly busy but looking back I don't appear to have achieved very much at all!

I have been catching up with all the 'bitty things' - actually assembling rather than being creative! 

Here's one that I finished this week

 This Stempelglede Vintage Garden stamp ranks amongst those that I like a lot but it doesn't see ink often enough.

And look 😲😲 I even made a matching envie! Unheard of!

Stamped onto watercolour card before painting and I used one of the flourish stamps from the set randomly round the edge before matting onto black card. 

The sentiment is from Altenew.

Sharing over at   

MAWTT - Wings

A2S+M - A/goes.  

TIOT - In my garden there is...... 

Thanks for visiting today - I hope your week is going well! x

Winter

It seems very odd to be making a winter card when we have amazing temperatures and glorious sunshine!

I like the sun but it has been very hot today so I escaped to the craftie space for a little while  - the weather has been a nuisance really as I bought some pre loved PB stamps from a crafting buddy and have been itching to try them - but as most of us here in the UK feel that we have to make the most of the sunshine as it doesn't appear very often!

I am very much a novice when it comes to colouring these beautiful stamps and welcome any tips/techniques to make me improve!

My first attempt with this PB Hidden Lane stamp was in Autumn colours (saved for later). Didn't turn out too bad and will share at some point.

Flushed with success 😊😊, I thought I would try a wintry scene which involved some masking and I used another PB tree on the right side of the card.

I am really happy with how this turned out considering I am not very confident! I have left it without a sentiment for the time being - need to have a think about it!

I am sharing over at PBSC - where the theme is A.Goes with the option of watercolours.
The DT over there are incredibly talented so they may give me some constructive criticism or pointers which I am happy to take on board! 

CAS Watercolour

I had several tiny pieces of smooshed card mounting up - they were about to see the inside of the waste bin as really they were too small to be of any real use and I am trying to continue in my  quest to keep the desk tidy 😇😇- but then I remembered I had a small butterfly punch that might fit some of the odd pieces.
 So that was the basis for this card!

The die cut squares were also left over from other things so I am feeling rather pleased with myself that I managed to make this from scraps!

The smaller die cut was already smooshed with Stormy Sky DI and I just added a few spatters in Picked Raspberry.

The chrysalis on the branch is a very old (and small!) clear stamp and I coloured with my watercolour pens and added a teeny bit of sparkle. .

The sentiment is from SU's Butterfly Basics.
I painted the bodies of the tiny butterflies then just layered it all up.

CAS Watercolour's August challenge is Colourful Butterflies.

It's also been a little while since I have managed to go to The Playground, so am sharing my make over there too.

And at TIOT the challenge is - In My Garden there is....... ! 

We have had such a wet few days - sunshine one minute then heavy rain the next. Not what we want during August which is supposed to be our summer!
Thanks for taking the time to look today, wherever you are I hope your weather is better than mine! x

CAS Stencil - Mid Month!

I'm here with a reminder that the CAS Stencil challenge is mid way through this month -  and the challenge that Robyn set us was to use sprays with your stencils.

At the beginning of the month I used a spray I had made up myself using Brushos in the usual way of simply spraying through a stencil - if you've not already seen my card, it's here.

I watched a couple of videos and rather liked the idea of mixing an Ink Mist Spray with embossing paste to create texture and colour  so thought I'd have a play with paste and get messy!

The spray I used was a Cosmic Shimmer Ink Spray Mist called 'Paradise Pink' and the stencil is 'Beautiful Baroque Swirls' by Hunkydory.

Using a palette knife I scooped some white embossing paste onto a craft sheet, added a few drops of the ink and mixed them together thoroughly.
I layered this through the top of the stencil then added a few more drops to darken the colour, repeating twice more and applying through the stencil, ending up with an ombre effect.

Before the paste dried I sprinkled a teeny bit of Glamour Dust down the centre - doesn't show up very well on the pic but it looked very pretty in real life!

The die cut sentiment was triple embossed.

My thanks go to Svitlana for inspiring me to have a go at this technique and I hope I have inspired you to do the same and join us if you haven't already! x

Sharing at
Creative Knockouts - Sparkle and Shine

Mid Month - Stamping Sensations August Challenge

Here's my mid month reminder for you for our 'Things with Wings'  challenge at Stamping Sensations.

The butterflies are from an SU stamp set stamped in Versafine Crimson red,  fussy cut and popped on with foam pads for a bit of dimension.

The script stamp and leaf stamp are from my stash and are that old I have no idea what make they are!

If you've not joined us this month there's still plenty of time - the challenge runs until 28th.

And the prize from out great sponsors Rubber Dance is DEFINITELY worth having - Go to the blog to see!  Please read our challenge rules carefully before submitting your entry - we are a STAMPING challenge!
 Also sharing over at -
Alphabet Challenge - K for Kind Thoughts
Cardz 4 Galz -  Wings

Thanks for looking! I'll be back later today with my reminder for CAS Stencil! x

On a Roll!

So I wait 8 months to make a Christmas card and in the space of 48 hours I have now made 2!

I have been having fun with paper towels again - and so on an odd bit of watercolour card I placed another piece of ink soaked paper towel and sprayed with water.

I ended up with a lovely pale green and pink background piece that I thought may provide a good backdrop for my die cut holly.

Turned out not too bad at all I don't think!

Here's a close up of the glitter on the berries.


Very schparkly!!
(And so's my desk......  no idea how a teeny miniscule tub of glitter has managed to pervade every corner of my desk  - and the floor and beyond😞)

Again there's not a lot of glitter on the card but there IS a bit so this will be my second card for this month's CAS Christmas challenge!

It still seems weird to be making Christmas cards when there are 36 sleeps to go to my holidays (not that I'm counting you understand.......😏😏😎)


Hope you're having a nice day and thanks for stopping by. xx

Bring out the Bunting!

Been a little while since I last posted - the National Championships are in full swing so have spent a few days there, came home for a few days and off again later this week.
BUT.....
BRING OUT THE BALLOONS🎈🎈, SET OFF THE FIREWORKS🎆🎇, TRUMPET FANFARES PLEASE🎺🎺.......................
I HAVE MADE A CHRISTMAS CARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please don't faint!!
Here it is - for the challenge at CAS Christmas. 


OK - there isn't a lot of glitter but there is some!

A VERY CAS card but I quite like it so probably will make a batch of smaller ones.

The sentiment was silver embossed and added a few sparklies for a bit more glitter.
The die for the snowflake I'vr had for a while and no idea who's make it is.
A snippet of glitter card which I found in a drawer came in really useful!
Quick and easy!

Don't know about snow but we've had some really weird weather over the last few days - torrential downpours, thunderstorms, bright sunshine - nothing like our summer as I remember them!
Today we have a stiff breeze and white cloud  - perfect for drying the washing but not warm enough to have a cuppa outside!

Sounds to me like a perfect excuse to sit in the craftie space for the rest of the day (only whilst the washing is drying you understand..... 😉😉 )
Have a great day whatever you're doing! x

Large Stencil

 I used an Inklylicious Stencil to create my background, inking it in Shaded Lilac and Spun Sugar.
The stamps are from Inklycious and Lavinia and the sentiment stamp was a freebie last year.

I didn't have any really tiny tree stamps so the trees next to the Castle are simply the top of the Fir Tree stamp, after masking the bottom of the card.

I inked up the largest circle in the stencil on a separate piece of card and cut it with a circle die before stamping again.
A little bit of pink ribbon and my tag was created!

Mop Up Your Mess!

I have been saving the paper towels I use for mopping up my mess for a little while (there's a lot 'cos I am VERY messy😁😁), because I saw a technique to reuse them to make backgrounds.

And that is the challenge at CAS Mix Up this month.
(If you've not done this technique before there are some videos over at the challenge blog!)

So here's my card -  

I had a small piece of watercolour card left over from a previous make so I took my dried paper towel, laid it on top and liberally spritzed it with water.

Pressing down on it the colour transferred onto the watercolour card - I was more than a little pleased with myself  when I lifted it off and was left with this soft pastel background in shades of yellow and pink.

The die cut was another scrap piece of watercolour card and I coloured with Distress Inks. I adore cherry blossoms - you know that once they flower spring is here.

A square card for this make, as the die seemed to look better inside the circle aperture.
A stamped sentiment and a few sequins to finish.

Here's my paper towel!
Mostly Picked Raspberry, Squeezed Lemonade and Fossilized Amber  (I think!).

Am also sharing over at Uniko, the Playground, the Flower Challenge  and Make My Monday this week.
Thanks for taking the time to look at my blog today and if you have left me a comment, I am really grateful!
Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

CAS Stencil - August

Robyn is hosting our challenge this month at CAS Stencil and she has set us the task of using Sprays.

If you're like me you may have an odd one or two which you hardly use for your cards - I tended to use them for canvases and other mixed media projects so this was a first for me.
Having looked at the few colours I possessed I decided I would have a go at making up my own.

I bought some small spray bottles to fill with holiday essentials and had a couple left so I got out the Brushos and made some sprays up in a few colours to stretch my stash without buying!

I used 'Leaf Green' for this - and yes I know it's NOT a bamboo but you will just have to use your imagination!
(And anyway Pandas eat other leaves not just bamboo.... according to Google!!)

My green leaves were done on watercolour card then placed inside a die cut frame.
The panda stamp is from a 'panda panel' from Woodware and I just cut him away from his fluffy friends.

There's lots of things you can use to make up a spray colour - all you need is a spray bottle of some sort (a mini mister is fine), some water and whatever colour/type of powdered pigment you have. - Oh and you need a cardboard box (or similar) with high sides to put your stencil in  before you start - that way the spray doesn't decorate your desk, your walls and your clothes, as well 🙈🙈

There's a couple of videos on the challenge blog which may give you some help too - and while you're there have a look at the amazing designs from my talented teamies and our wonderful Guest Designer Amy and pop over to their blogs for more inspiration!

Thanks for looking today - happy crafting. x

August at Stamping Sensations

Hello Crafty People!

August already! And the Stamping Sensations challenge is ' Things With Wings' - so  a lot of scope there - please remember though you MUST stamp and have the 'thing with wings' as the FOCAL point of your entry.

I had a bit of fun with a few stamps and ink!

Stamped the butterfly first then masked off.

The diamond background stamp is from Kaiserkraft and I just inked it with a few co-ordinating Distress Ink colours and stamped away on the background. Used an old circle stamp from a textured collection and randomly stamped a few circles.

Sentiment came next

Sponged the edge and matted onto green card before popping onto the card base and done!

We have a great prize for you again - our sponsors this month are the fabulous 'Rubber Dance' - pop over to the blog to check it out - and visit my wonderfully talented teamies - they love comments!