Faux Cyanotype

This last week I have felt a little better in myself 
(maybe it's the Slow Stitching - See post below!) 
and although have spent a lot of time just sitting at the craft desk shuffling bits of stuff round with no end product (depressing enough as it is without failing to conjure anything up) . 

I have still paid sporadic visits to blogs over the last several months as pretty makes give me a little lift even if it's only for a short time and this last week something caught my eye on Pat's lovely blog.

It's been a long time since I made a card for anything other than my TIOT DT duties -
but in a couple of hours of no brain fuzz I  tried the Faux Cyanotype I had seen done by Pat and the Group of 7 Cardmakers. 
(Hello Lolly and friends xxx - it's been a forever long time 💕)

I found picking up an ink blending brush was also something that I didn't need to get myself in a state about which perked me up even more. (Whether it lasts will be a different thing)

The stamps are by Inkylicious and they were used a lot in the past - placing of the hummingbird not quite right as I really wanted it to be nearer the flower but hey ho - at least I made something just for makings sake.
I did though have to stamp the image many times with the white ink - thank God for Misti is what I say.
I lightly inked the edges of the frame and the card itself with the same Blueprint Sketch DOX.

Having been brave enough to push the dark cloud aside I have linked this up to the Group's blog. x

Feeling Blue

It's half way through our 'FEELING BLUE' challenge at TRY IT ON TUESDAY so you've still time to join in.
Here's my half way make -

Not anything to do with feeling sad as you can see but it is most definitely blue!

Inks used -
Sky - Chipped Sapphire, Prize Ribbon.
Water - Uncharted Mariner, Blueprint Sketch.
Faded both top and bottom out towards the middle so that the moon gives off light.

The image is of course from Stampin Up's Beautiful You set, which I coloured with a black Posca pen then added some white highlights.

Used a white posca pen for the 'ripples' and although it doesn't show up very well in the photo a white gel pen to make some lighter ripples across the entire bottom.

A few ink spatters across the sky to mimic stars and she really is 'Dancing In the Moonlight'!

Thanks for looking and have a great day whatever you're doing. x

1st Challenge of 2025 at Try It On Tuesday

By now all the decorations will be stored away and doesn't your home look bare?!

I actually like it when all the Christmas clutter has gone and my house is 'back to normal'!

Our first challenge of the year at Try It On Tuesday is called 'Feeling Blue' (which I hope you're not).

I used one single ink pad for this make - Salty Ocean oxide - and it took no time at all to do.
Ink blending liberally splashed with water first.

Stamped the images from a really old Art Journey set using the Oxide and then hunted for a sentiment.
I didn't want a specific greeting as I have no idea what I will use this card for and wanted something generic.

I quite like this one, have had it for ever- no idea who's it is but it's mounted on red rubber and was bought well before clear stamps were a 'thing'!

Hope you can find time to join us this time - please visit the BLOG and see some of the lovely makes from the rest of the creative team.

Have a lovely day whatever you're doing. x

Try It On Tuesday- our first 2024 challenge!

  It's time for the very first challenge of the New Year at TRY IT ON TUESDAY and the theme is WINTER BLUES.
(I hope none of you are feeling blue after all the excitement during the festive season!)

Last year we had lots of lovely people sharing their creations with us every month and I hope you will find the time to join us this year too.

My first make for the challenge is a card made for a friend's winter birthday.

I blended a little Iced Spruce on the background first before using a light dusting of Chipped Sapphire and used the Iced Spruce to make the snowy hills at the base.

I secondary stamped the swinging fairy and the toadstools using Versafine Clair Twilight - the first generation stamping was simply too dark.

The vines were second and third generation stamping.

Some 'snow' on the tops of the toadstools using a white gel pen and I added a little bit of sparkle with a silver Posca glitter pen.

The rest of the TIOT team have some lovely makes to inspire you (if you need inspiring) so please pop over to the challenge blog for a look and thanks for visiting me today! x

A Winter Scene

 It's not quite Winter yet - or if it is no one has told some of the summer plants in the garden - I still have fuchsias and alstromerias in flower and this morning 3 cone flowers have appeared! Although the temperatures are dropping it is still relatively mild for November- even my Christmas Roses have decided to poke their heads out.

All a far cry from my snowy scene here!
I bought this Inkylicious Ornate Leaf stencil when it first came out and to my shame this make was the first time it's been used - but I made 3 more similar with it so I didn't feel quite as guilty.

A quick card really with some ink blending, stamping and glitter.

Used Tumbled Glass and Blueprint Sketch oxides inside and Iced Spruce for the shading and Versafine Clair Twilight for the figures and trees. The dark blue made a change from the usual black I use for silhouettes/

I think I may need a little more practice with the shading at the outer edges - I was bothered about putting on too much and making it really dark!

The stamps are all from Cardio.
Sharing over at
Fab n Funky - Shades of Blue
LRW - Winter
Holly and Ivy - Anything Christmas

In a moment of madness I agreed to take a table at the local Community Centre for their Christmas Artisan Fair so have spent some time stamping on candles (a first for me and dead chuffed with myself!), and making Fairy baubles as well as cards. Am working on the basis that if all leftovers will simply end up being used by me!

Hence why my blogging is sporadic at the mo but now am a bit better organised I can sit and visit everyone!
Thanks for looking today - hope all is well in your part of blogland. x

Blue Part 2 (and a bit of Pink!)

A quick share!
This was one of those stamps that I HAD to have as soon as I saw it.  No idea why as I am not/never have been/never will be a Ballet Dancer! But there was just something about it that appealed to me.
I made 2 cards in different colours -
 and can tell you they were both terrible to photograph!
We have had so much rain and grey skies, taking pics of anything has been really difficult.

Both cards coloured the same with watercolours - although wasn't happy about my shading with the blue one - as the paint mix (shades of blue and white) is so obviously different to  the shoes.

I stamped both in Smokey Grey as I wanted a softer overall look.

The 'Dance' sentiment is from SU and the 'Dream' one from an old set (make unknown).

I am submitting the blue card as another entry into CAS Watercolour where the theme this month is 'Blue'.

I am off to the British Isles International Series tomorrow for a few days - a short one hour's flight away.
Keeping everything crossed that the deadful rain ☂☂ we have been experiencing for such a long time here in the UK has now moved away to give us some dry days while play takes place!
#TEAMENGLAND💪

Thanks for taking the time to visit me - I will catch up with you all very soon. x

Blues

Everywhere here stark white this morning! Quite a lot of snow last night and it's still here!
A 'Man' card to share today as the 'man' stash is really low so made a couple of train/boat/plane themed ones this week for the card box.

A blue colour scheme for this one as the ship's wheel background paper I have had for a long time and never used.
The other paper was just an odd leftover bit but was big enough to use to cut a circle and a couple of banners.

The stamp was inked with Versafine Majestic Blue and I lightly sponged round the edge of the white card before distressing and layering onto the blue base.   

The charm secured with some blue/white twine and the sentiment stamp just tucked behind.

Challenges -
Fantasy Stampers - All About the Boys
Just Us Girls - Light/Dark Blue and White
Sparkles Monthly - January Blues (Monochromatic)
Glitter n Sparkle - Mono
Craft for the Craic - January Blues

Used up a few bits too so over to the Playground with my woolly hat and furry boots to make a snowman!
Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Summertime!

WOW - 2 weeks since my last post! Been super busy and away from home but enjoying every minute. (Pic to share at bottom of post)

 Am only just finding time to do the washing and ironing on my days at home before I have to pack up again and load the car for another road trip - home this time until Wednesday then am off to Scotland!

A quick post and card from me just in case any of you thought I'd stopped blogging - I haven't!  There's just longer times between posts!

Used up old papers for this card too and continued the theme inside.
It was quick and easy - but perfect to satisfy my crafting cravings with so little time.
I may yet colour the sand and sky - haven't made my mind up!

I've also found time to finish a commissioned diamond anniversary card which will share with you all at some point.

Challenges -
Gem of a Challenge - Summertime
Di's Digi's - Summer Fun
Stampin Boutique - Summer Fun
APWP - Nautical
Digi Sketch - Holidays by the Sea

So that's it from me for the next few days - am coming calling this evening whilst I just have a glass of vino and a chill out - there was too much excitement here -
 when England Ladies won the International Series!

Lets hope the men do the same this week in Scotland!

Thanks for calling in -  I appreciate you following and commenting.
Happy days to you all until I get back. xx

New

I am intending  to stick to my promise about no more paper buying and keep using up what I have use up what I have. I am not averse though to printing paper!!! But am not going to buy any as I have far too many paper packs which are largely unused and have decided that the less I spend on paper the more I can spend on stamps and other stuff!

Have been able to have crafty couple of days and am trying to swell the 'Pink' box - which for a lot of this year will be 'green' cos we've adopted  Macmillan this year as the County's charity, so I am intending to split the proceeds from the sales 60- 40  with the larger portion going to Macmillan for this bowling season. 

I have had a bit of a 'baby fest' as these are for the 'box' and here's the first of 3 finished yesterday.
I used some pastel chalk to take the white glare from the background and hopefully little 'rocking baby' stands out a bit more! He has been highlighted with Distress Inks and Promarkers to give the colours more definition.

The papers are by Nitwits (from my stash) and I found the letters in another (unused) paper pad! Attached them with a little wooden peg and popped on 3 blue buttons.
Finished off by continuing the papers inside (in an attempt to keep using!)
 Challenges -
Buckwells - Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
That's Crafty - Blue
Gem of a Challenge - Something New
Dragons Lair - New Beginnings
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes

Another day in the crafty space for me today - have a great day whatever you're doing and if you've left me a comment or just called by, thank you! xx

Cold and grey day with some heavy sleet and hailstone showers thrown in just to keep me firmly in the craft room.... not that any excuse is needed.

After my relapse in printing out paper last time for the vintage boat card I went back to the 'use up the paper stash' promise and  got some blue papers - still wanting to make more boy/man cards but as I cut up paper pieces I remembered this badly neglected stamp and just had a 'sudden urge' to produce something with it!

Trouble with 'sudden urges' is that they then tend to throw you completely off track and things don't come together as you think they should!!!
Never mind - am sure there must be someone out there who likes the idea of a small child wearing a bucket on it's head!

 I have been struggling a bit with layouts over the last couple of days so this time I used a sketch from the challenge over at Freshly Brewed this month.

Image stamped onto linen textured card and coloured with promarkers. Distress Inks Stormy Sky and Mustard Seed sponged round the edges before matting onto dark blue card.

A bit of string and a couple of card candies along with a free digi sentiment from TLC to finish.

AND - because I am being very good I used up ALL the offcuts of the paper on the inside! 3 more sheets  gone - but it is a pity that 3 sheets doesn't amount to very much when you must have about 3 million!!! LOL
Other Challenges-
Cutie Pie - Cute and Blue
Digi Makeover - Blue
My Craft Spot - Polka Dots
Clear it Out - Blues
Craft Your Passion - Spots and Stripes

Hope you're warm and dry! Have a great day. x

New!

This may not be the only post today - you have been warned!! LOL
I had a quick flurry yesterday and made some CAS cards - a lady at the Club bought a lot of cards from the 'Pink' box on Saturday -  I needed to make up the stash - so a few quick makes were in order!
It's not often I used coloured card as a base as I always think that my makes look 'flat' but decided to give it another go.
So I made a Baby card (well a few actually but am only sharing one at the mo!) Others will no doubt follow later......

Just a plain simple little new baby boy card done in pale blue cardstock and some scraps of patterned and spotty paper from the snippets pile.
(So will be popping this into the playground this week).
I added a shoestring bow and the sentiment is from LOTV stamped in versafine ink.
The pram was a clear stamp but no idea where I got it from!
I popped a tiny pale blue pearl in the centre of the flower and then die cut and layered it using foam pads.
One of the quickest cards I've ever made I think - am still unsure about the plain background. Think that as I've got used to using linen textured card for CAS I am missing the depth it gives. I considered embossing but ended up leaving it plain!

Challenges -
Less Is More - New baby
ATCAS - New
Stampavie - New Beginnings
Creative Creations - Less Is More
Kaboodle Doodles - Use Blue
SOS - Winter Blues
TIOT - Celebrations

Thanks for visiting! x

The Blues?

Played about a bit with some offcuts, a few pieces of linen textured card and some dies.
Result was a batch of CAS cards which always go down well as ' buy and keep them 'cos you'll never know when I'll need one'!
Sharing on this post two cards very similar and some inky fingers.... actually I managed to keep myself very clean for a change as normally once the inks are out I have a mad desire to go all grungy and start slapping paint and ink on canvas but the mojo wouldn't switch on to anything fussy and fancy for some unknown reason - perhaps it's pre holiday blues!!


 I like this blossom die a lot and have used it on several cards. This is the first time though that I tried shading properly with Distress Inks.
I used Chipped Sapphire, Broken China and Tumbled Glass and sponged across a piece of  textured card.

Cut out the die twice and cut out some small squares.

Overlapped all the squares, and then put the dies on sticking them at the bottom only so they kind of 'waft about'!

Added a teeny piece of hand dyed ragged seam binding tied into a knot and 3 pearls on the bottom square and then layered it all up onto the card with 3d foam pads.
I left it sentiment free - might add one but can't make my mind up!

Second card was made using up the left over bits from the first!

Just cut out the die blossom from a piece of white card and then layered it onto the inked up left over before mounting it onto a white card .

Simple sentiment inked in Chipped Sapphire and a couple more blue pearls!

Challenges -
Pixie's Playground - Snippets
Sweet Stamping - Got the Blues
Bloggers - To Die For
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes
Bunny Zoes - Something Blue
Crazy 4 Challenges - Flowers & Pearls

Will see if these get taken - quite enjoyed doing them so if they get re-housed by one of my ladies then I know that I can use all my bits up!

Quite a nice day here so far - much cooler but dry and there's even some blue sky in between the large white clouds!
Have a great day whatever you're doing and thanks for sticking with me to the bottom of this rambling post!! x