Kind

I was struggling last week to come up with anything constructive (like a lot of people!) and then on Friday last I managed to hurt my back/hip
(making the bed - don't ask!)
and it has been really painful for a couple of days so I didn't feel much like doing anything anyway except feel sorry for myself! Thankfully today it is a bit better but I don't intend to be doing any Can Cans for a while!

With no clear sense of what I intended to do but determined to do something -- (ANYTHING!)  I took this stamp set and gold embossed it onto a piece of watercolour card and coloured it with watercolours.

The sentiment is from Uniko.

It's a bit weird having lots of time to craft and then finding you can't think of anything to do - I am trying not to watch the news more than once a day as what is happening at the moment is just making me sad.
I am really glad that you've come to visit me as this self isolation thingy  can become a bit wearing can't it?
Thank goodness Blogland is here for us crafting junkies!
Stay Safe wherever in the World you are. x

Sunshine

We are blessed today with clear blue skies and some warm sunshine - for a short while I have sat outside listening to nothing except the sounds of birds singing - and have been able to put all the worries about what everyone in the world is currently experiencing to the back of my mind.
Solitude is far better in the sunshine than underneath grey skies! 
I am sharing my own little bit of sunshine with you in this card.

I thought the sentiment was very apt as Nature does really seem to laugh in the sunshine.

My smooshed background is a small piece left over from another project and has some Mica powders mixed in so in real life it has lovely sparkle.
The 'corn' is part of a Woodware stamp, heat embossed in white and the die cut butterfly was cut from an odd piece of pearlised black card.

I received a card similar to this last year from a blogging buddy and it really was sunshine in an envelope!

I hope you too are blessed with a nice day wherever you are and that everyone is staying safe.
Thanks for visiting me today. x

For You

I have found it quite difficult to actually set to and create anything over the last few days and I suspect there are many like me at the moment with all that is going on.

Our lives have changed dramatically over the last week or so and without doubt there are more changes to come.
What I cannot get my head round is why people though seem incapable of doing as advised and just think that they can carry on like this is party and holiday season - hearing reports of pubs still open, car boot sales taking place, queuing up to get onto the top of mountains (I mean SERIOUSLY???)  and clearly not observing social distancing -  so sooner rather than later I hope that more stringent measures are enforced before more lives are lost.

So now my little rant is over I will share the single make since Tuesday!

It doesn't show in the pic but the dots are actually pearly - achieved by using an old gift card and dragging some acrylic pearl paint across the inside of the embossing folder.
Looks quite pretty in real life so not too bad considering I am struggling for ideas.
Linking up to -
Cardz4Galz - Spring Flowers (my die is called Cherry Blossom!)
Krafty Chicks - CAS
Crafty Gals - Flowers

I hope you are all safe and well wherever in the world you are. x

Spring Florals - Stamping Sensations Mid Month Reminder- March

I have copied the message from our Stamping Sensations challenge blog - 

We hope everyone is keeping safe and well during these unprecedented troubled times, it's all quite surreal and the daily news bulletins from all around the World suggest we are going to have to weather some stormy times before it improves. 

Amidst all that's going on posting a mid month reminder seems futile, but we know craft has helped many through difficult times in the past and perhaps now more than ever we will be grateful of our hobby to help us through and keep us sane. We as a team send our love and thoughts to everyone.

 Our challenge is Spring Florals and we have a new sponsor this month - Thirsty Brush - so pop over to the challenge blog and take a look!

Whilst I had the vellum out for my sparkly Christmas card (below!) I used up some of the small pieces and stamped a scribbly flower and heat embossed in white. 

I thought about colouring the back of them but then decided to use coloured card base instead so I stamped the stems and leaves, heat embossed and added a little colour before popping on the fussy cut flower heads.

Thanks for looking today - I suspect that I (and lots of you) will be posting more over the coming weeks whilst we keep ourselves occupied during self isolating or following the advice to 'socially distance' - at least the power of blogland will keep us all in touch with each other.   

I appreciate all my visitors and never more so than now! Stay safe. x

Sparkly Flower

(My reminder post for CAS Stencil is below this one - Please scroll down the page!)

The sun is shining here today for a change! We have lovely blue skies, although it is still a bit chilly we managed to get out for an hour and a walk - it was lovely and peaceful and we were able to not dwell on the current situation all over the world for a short time and just enjoy the fresh air.

I am keeping my promise to myself to enter the challenge at CAS Christmas each month (listen to me - it's only March!!! Call back in October and we'll see how I've done then!) - this month the challenge is 'Winter Flower'.

It's also their SECOND BIRTHDAY so Happy Birthday to everyone at CAS Christmas!

I used a Penny Black poinsettia stamp, stamping first on gold glitter paper then embossing.

I stamped the flower again on some vellum and heat embossed, and used the stem from another set for the stalk and the leaf.

Fussy cut and then added some sequins for the centre.

I managed to find enough hammered textured card to make this card. I think I am going to have to buy some more as I am beginning to like it a lot better than plain white!

The card is quite sparkly but delicate in real life and another Christmas card for the box!
Sharing over at
ABC Christmas - E=Embossing/G=Gold

CAS Stencil Mid Month

My Heat Emboss challenge is half way through at CAS Stencil - so there's a little time left for you to share something with us in our gallery.

There are some great makes over at the blog and some links to a couple of tutorials if this is something you haven't done before.
We also have a beautiful make from our Guest Designer - 

I don't use colored card very often considering I have a simply huge stash of it and think maybe I should at least make an effort to make a small dent in it!

I used Slate Grey for this card base and heat embossed in white through a feather stencil from Bee Crafty.

The sentiment (also from Bee Crafty) was one I simply had to have - I love it!

Stamped and embossed the sentiment and the inside of the card has a PC generated sentiment - 'Spread your wings'

I added a couple of sequins to the front to finish.

Thanks for stopping by.
Have a great day whatever you're doing! x

Dirty Leftovers Part 1!

Following on from my last post this is the 2nd card made with my finished 'Dirty Pour'. I've  a smallish square bit left which will be subject to a third and final post in due course!! But I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who visited and left me so many wonderful amazing comments - I was happy with my card but even happier that you all took the time to visit!

I have no idea why this frame looks like it isn't square! Cos it is...........................

Anyway -the background of the frame was the leftover piece from the embossed background on the first card.

I stamped a few grassy bits in Smokey Grey ink, then added a couple of pale pink flowerheads and a couple of small dots.

The flower is a die I have had for a while and never used and happily two small pieces cut off from the heart fitted so I was able to paper piece.
I haven't added a sentiment yet as can't make my mind up!

The same with the middle of the frame that I now have left over and have to decide what to do with it! Such decisions!!

Linking up to
CAS Mix Up - Acrylic Paint (Stamping/Die Cutting/Paper Piecing)

Flower Challenge - Anything Goes
Pixies Playground - # 373

Thanks for looking today. x

Dirty Technique!

I have made such a mess!
Not that's anything unusual - but I have made more of a mess than normal..... I was going to take some pics of the desk but decided it would be unfair to those of a nervous disposition!
This mess though is another to add to my list of  - FUN THINGS TO DO!

I have been DESPERATE to try the Acrylic Dirty Pour Technique and this months challenge at CAS MIX UP is to use Acrylic Paint - so bought a very cheap set of acrylic paints and watched millions of videos - well 3 or 4 anyway....

I covered the desk with some plastic, donned a pair of rubber gloves and had a few practice sessions mixing small amounts of all kinds of daft colours and pouring onto on odd bits of card  - (now I know why it's called DIRTY pour!) - before I was confident enough to use a piece of precious Yupo.

I AM SOOOOOO PLEASED WITH MYSELF! Turned out pretty well I think? Even the critic in the room said it was 'cool'!!!

Added bonus is I have quite a bit left
after cutting out my heart so have made another card (a later share) and have a small piece left for a third!

It's CAS MIX UP's 4th Birthday too so Happy Birthday and thanks for setting challenges which make me try out new things!

TIOT also has a challenge of New Technique so am linking my dirty poured heart (😁😁) over there too
and popping in at Crafty Gals Corner where the challenge is Add a Heart!

Can recommend having a go at this if you've not done it before - there's something simply amazing watching the paints run into each other and make yummy patterns - and it's well worth the mess! x

CAS Stencil - March

This month at CAS Stencil is my very first time hosting and my challenge is HEAT EMBOSSING.
I have had my eyes opened👀 discovering there are so many different ways to use stencils, not just sticking them down and ink blending over them!

So I really hope you will try this technique this month - and hope that you enjoy doing it as much as I did - links on the challenge blog to a couple of videos to help if you need it.

My card has an ink blended panel (Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers and Blueprint Sketch).
Stamped some bulrushes (Inkylicious) in Smokey Grey and spattered a little water over the panel.
Brilliance Archival Ink (Called 'Peacock' - 3 lush colours on the pad!) used for the 2 dragonflies and clear embossed.

The large stencil is from Imagination Crafts. Applied the Versamark Ink, removed the stencil and heat set with white embossing powder.
The sentiment was a freebie but it seemed to fit!

The DT have some lovely makes to inspire you and don't forget to check out the gorgeous card from our Guest Designer - Cat  (Cat Luvs Paper)

Tips - 
Dab the Versamark, don't rub.
Always use an anti static pad on your card before placing your stencil on top
Remove your stencil before getting out the heat gun! ...... Seriously, I know someone who didn't..... 😵😵

Irish Luck

I am not an artist.
I cannot draw.
This is a bit of a hindrance when you want to try watercolouring without stamps!!
But not to be deterred I have finally managed to produce something without just stamping and colouring in which is passable...

I saw a technique some time back where you literally start off with four tiny spots of paint and then drag out the colour to make loose flower petals - been trying to master it - they made it look easy (it's not - well I don't think so anyway!!) but think I am getting there slowly!

CAS  Watercolour's challenge this month is 'Luck of the Irish' so it gave me an opportunity to try the technique on something that is a relatively easy shape.

It's not perfect but I am happy with it!

Also linking up to
Rainbow Challenge - Emerald
Always Fun - Shades of Green
HLS Watercolour - A/Goes


Thanks for looking -
I love to hear from you, your comments are always appreciated and I am grateful! x

March challenge at Stamping Sensations

Time for another challenge at Stamping Sensations.

This month our theme is Spring Flowers - not much chance of them here - we are currently in the middle of yet another round of wet and very very windy weather!

My card is made using a stamp and die set called 'Let Friendship Bloom' by Thirsty Brush.

This is a really big stamp and therefore a really quick make!

Stamped and watercoloured then cut out and popped onto a white card base with 3d foam pads which gives it some dimension.

A little ink spattering and a sentiment from the same set - all done!

Hope you can join in this month - please pop over to the challenge blog and have a look at what my teamies have done -
oh and you can also see what prize you can win - IF you have followed our rules!! We ARE a stamping challenge so please make stamping the focal point of your entry!

See you soon. x