Mid Month at CAS Mix Up and FINALLY!!!!

Our CAS Mix Up January challenge of 'Loose Watercolour' is half way through and you have until 24th of the month to join us.

There's already some lovely cards in our gallery and we love to see your creations!

I did a bit of accent stamping to highlight the lovely big flower which is from Altenew. It's one from their layered sets and I just used the outline stamp.

Stamped it in a pigment ink in a dark pink shade and then once dry watercoloured.

Hope you can join us this month - the DT and our Guest designer Karen (Random Reflections)
have lots to inspire you!


My lovely blog visitors will know what a terrible trial we have had since selling our home last May and then moving into a tiny (and very cold) rented property supposedly for a few weeks.
Almost 7 months on we finally exchanged contracts on our new home on 11th of this month, we get our hands on the keys on the 19th and our removal firm are booked for 21st.
I cried with relief when we finally exchanged contracts, it has been a long hard few months, fraught with worry wondering if it was going to happen at all.

I have several more grey hairs than I did 6 months ago! Anyway, onward and upward for us now.
The new place doesn't need anything doing in terms of decorating but we do have to buy new furniture so that will be exciting and more importantly I am looking forward to a brand new craft space! (The only downside is no internet until mid February!)
To those of you who have sent me message of support and put up with me generally moaning and being miserable for what probably seems like an eternity, (you know who you are), I thank you and am eternally grateful for my blogland buddies.
I will be back as soon as I am able. x

First Christmas Card 2022!

Last year I joined in at CAS Christmas for almost every month apart from one so am trying to have another go this year. Seems quite weird making Christmas cards so early but last year playing along every month helped me a bit so there was not as mad a rush at the end which was just as well considering the house situation!
I also have not yet re-packed  the few Christmas stamps I'd got out so it made sense to use them!

The first challenge of the year is 'Silver and Gold'.

I took a circle stencil/mask and lightly inked the outside in Hickory Smoke then tore some paper to make 'snow drifts' inside the circle and inked.

The stamps are all from Lavinia and Inkylicious.
The embossing was a bit tricky!

I did all the silver stamping and embossing first, then embossed the gold tree. Used an embossing pen to dab onto the berries and gold embossed.
I was a little apprehensive in case I overheated the silver and made it dull but thankfully it all turned out OK and it really is shiny in real life!

The sentiment stamp was a freebie in a craft mag last year - was quite disappointed with it as it didn't give a crisp impression but you can make out the words 'Winter Greetings' when you have hold of it so overall am quite happy with the way the card looks.
One down - lots to go!
Peace On Earth have a Christmas theme of  'Anything Goes', so am popping this into their gallery too and Country View Challenges January challenge is 'A Year to Sparkle and Shine'.

New Year, New Challenge!

Today is the start of our new challenge after our December break over at CAS Mix Up. Jenny has given us the task of 'Loose Watercolouring'.

There's lots of links to tutorials over on the challenge blog and also some fab examples from the DT and I really hope you will be able to join in with us - after all no doubt you all got lots of lovely stash at Christmas so time to use it!

I enjoyed doing this as it was nice to just be able to watch the colours blend together without any effort on my part - apart from putting the paint on the brush.

Stamped the flowers onto watercolour card and just left to dry overnight. Wet the image then added the colour - simple and looks quite artsy (well I think so anyway!)
It's unlikely to win any accolades from art critics but I'm quite pleased with it!

Quick and easy, added a simple sentiment and matted onto coloured cardstock - job done.

Visitors to my blog will know that the latter part of 2021 was quite a stressful time for me on top of Covid, let's hope 2022 is a better year for us all.
 
Thanks for looking today, appreciate it! x