Look Up!

The temperature change in 24 hours here has been ridiculous!!
Sat outside on Saturday - very warm and sunny. Sat inside on Sunday - in a jumper and socks! (had other clothes on too........😄😄 )
Still cool today but not raining thankfully so we managed a walk round the nearby Nature Reserve this morning.
I have a card for this month's CAS Watercolour challenge which is 'Night Sky'.

I quite enjoy trying my hand making these backgrounds and usually manage OK blending Distress Inks but I tried this time just using my watercolours.
Note to Self - NEED MORE PRACTICE!

Overall my watercolour piece didn't turn out too bad and I managed to make 2 reasonably passable cards with it.

I love these little 'SuperHero Pugs' from Clearly Besotted and I thought he would look good against the galaxy sky.
Stamped, embossed and watercoloured before he was ready to sit patiently waiting to fly off somewhere to Save the World!

Thanks for looking today - stay safe, be kind and happy crafting. xx

Also sharing at -
HLS Watercolour - A/Goes + Embossing
Daring Cardmakers - Inky Background

Spring

I like Spring. With all the madness going on there is something quite serene about seeing banks of daffodils and bright crocuses poking their heads out.  In my old house I had a small flower bed underneath a tree and every year the snowdrops multiplied a bit more and gave me a white carpet.

CAS Watercolour's challenge is 'Spring Flowers'.
As Snowdrops are known to be the first Spring flower  (even though they often poke their heads up above snow!)
I chose to use them on my card.

I did a simple watercolour background and fussy cut  my snowdrop stamp after painting.

Although you can't see it in the photo I dusted a little sparkle over the petals.

The sentiment is a well used one!

I hope that you are safe wherever you are in the World and if you are experiencing Spring like we are, that your World is full of Snowdrops.

Thanks for looking. x

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

Red and Black

A lovely week away with our friends topped off with winning the Bowls England tournament - so now we have a hat trick of 3 wins in this event in four years - we're really pleased!
Only downside was a very tiring 6 hour drive home so as usual it will take me a couple of days to get over it - decided to spend my relax time doing a few cards for some upcoming challenges.

CAS Watercolour's challenge this month is 'Red and Black'. These colours always shout 'Oriental' to me so my card was obviously inspired by that.

I dragged a brush with some watered down black paint and made a few background mountains, adding a little pale red highlights.

I used an old stamp which is a little bigger than the impression here - the balance would have been all wrong as it was too big  for the background - so masked off the bottom first and then stamped in Versamark Black.

I used a coin and carefully drew a circle, which I then watercoloured avoiding the spire as much as I could!

Some more watered down black paint and a very old Chinese letters stamp (no idea what it means or even if it means anything at all!) before framing and matting onto the base card.

Quite pleased with how it turned out as I am still not confident with watercolours and although there's not !

Also sharing over at Pearly Sparkles where the challenge is to 'Use Some Red'. 
Thanks for looking - hope all is well in your part of blogland. x

CAS Watercolour - first challenge of 2020!

Happy New Year to all of my blogland friends!
Over at the CAS group of challenges all the Design Teams have had a little Festive break and we're now all back with our monthly challenges!
Today sees the first 2020 challenge at CAS Watercolour and the challenge is to use 'Cool Colours'.

I chose blue and silver.

The stamps are 'Humming Bird Garden' by Inkylicious.
The ink is Faded Jeans DI and I spritzed the stamp with some water before stamping onto my watercolour paper, repeating the ink, water and stamp until I'd covered as much of the paper that I wanted to!

The birds were simply silver heat embossed.

I thought about also heat embossing the sentiment but once it was stamped with Silver metallic ink I left it alone as I liked the flat appearance (which doesn't show up very well!)

The CAS Mix Up challenge started yesterday, the Christmas challenge starts tomorrow (3rd) and I will be back on 4th with my DT make for CAS Stencil and we hope that you will be able to join us in 2020 - there are some surprises and prizes in the months ahead so it's going to be a good year!

We have had visitors staying with us this week and they are leaving tomorrow so a part of the day will be spent taking down the tree and stuff and getting the house back to normal - or as normal as it usually is anyway!!!
Thanks for looking today, will be round to visit you all as soon as I can. xx

Two cards- one post

I made this card a couple of weeks ago just before the Monochromatic challenge at CAS Watercolour started. As I am trying to expand my watercolour skills I wanted to have a go at this months challenge and also to continue my promise to myself that I would try and enter each month.

I thought twice about linking it when I saw the wonderfully talented Birgit, this months Guest Designer, had produced another wonderful watercolour for her DT spot which makes mine pale in comparison!!!
It was only when I realised that I would maybe not have time to do another that I made the decision to post.

So continuing with my entering the CAS challenges here's one made for the CAS Christmas challenge which has the theme of 'Warm and Cozy'.

I hereby announce that it is official - I am RUBBISH with digi stamps! I have never really got to grips with them although I must have amassed hundreds of them over the years.

I never seem to get the sizing right and so it proved on this card which maybe doesn't have enough white space - but am sharing it anyway to show that I tried!

Little Scottie is from A Day For Daisies and I paper pieced him a plaid coat to keep him warm and added a little sparkly ribbon collar.
Some light ink dusting and some secondary stamping using a Uniko pine branch and then stamped the sentiment.

Both these challenges are half way through so there is still time to enter!

There's also still time to enter the CAS Stencil challenge and I will be back tomorrow to share my mid month DT card. Pop over and get out your stencils!!

Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

CAS Watercolour October Challenge

CAS Watercolour is celebrating their THIRD Birthday🎂🎂🎂 this month (time has certainly flown!). Loll is hosting and she has set the challenge of  'Maple Leaves'. 

So here's my card!

I coloured some watercolour card with Distress Inks in shades of Rusty Hinge, Fossilized Amber and Spiced Marmalade and then die cut 3 maple leaves.

A stitched frame over another piece of watercolour card (a scrap but I thought the colour blended OK) and then arranged 2 leaves and cut the third up and tucked it behind the frame.

The die cut and the stamped sentiment is from Technique Tuesday

If you play along this month you will be in with a chance of winning a prize and all you have to do is create a card with a watercoloured Maple Leaf ( or Leaves) and make sure to keep your design CAS (clean and simple) with lots of open space.  Simples!


There's a few Autumn themed challenges about so am sharing my card at -
Die Cut Divas - Fall Colours
HLS (Watercolour) - A/Goes/Botanical
Stamplorations October CAS - Shades of Orange

Thanks for looking today - have a great weekend! x

Opposites Attract!

I managed to grab some time in the craftie space in between the ironing and packing - we're off for a 'celebratory holiday' in a couple of days (our 20th anniversary)  - then when we come back we're only home for a week and we jet off again - this time to visit our friends who live overseas who are also celebrating a big anniversary - double ours!!

But I couldn't go away without a fix of inkiness and paper - I made a couple of cards similar to this last year and when I saw the challenge at CAS Watercolour I remembered that the colour combo fitted -
The orange and blue hues are opposite on the colour spectrum and I think they go really well together.

I used watercolour card and my paints and once dry I stamped the bullrushes and the birds. 
No sentiment on it yet - originally I thought it might work as a Sympathy card  but think it would be suitable for other occasions - so will keep it plain until I use it!

Thanks for looking and leaving any comments - I really DO love to hear from you. x

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

A Birthday Bouquet

It is my blogging buddy Darnell's birthday today! (Shhhhhh - don't say how old🙊🙊)
Clever Darnell is part of the wonderful DT at CAS Watercolour and they are celebrating her birthday with the challenge of a 'Bouquet of Flowers'.


 I hope Mr Postman delivered my card to Darnell in time for today but just in case it hasn't arrived across the pond yet I have made one to share with her via the Challenge as well.

I have recently acquired this stamp and matching die set. I love it!
I stamped and heat embossed in gold and used my new watercolour paints before die cutting.
The background in the circle is a simple colour wash and some gold spatters and a heat embossed sentiment.

Happy Birthday Darnell! xx

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

Blue

Having found myself with the washing done and drying on the line and despite the sunny weather (not very warm) I escaped to the craft space on the last day of the weekend, where I spent a few happy hours making a mess with ink!
I am joining in again this month at CAS Watercolour where the challenge is 'Something Blue'.

I LOVE 💖 this cherry blossom stamp from Technique Tuesday.
I rank it amongst my all time faves.
It is one of those stamps that whatever colour you use it looks 'right'!

Although I confess to never having stamped it in BLUE before......!

Used Versafine Majestic Blue for the outline and coloured it with my (new 😊) watercolours before fussy cutting. (I do have the co-ordinating die but I  didn't want the white edge round  the outline of the stamp.)
Once dry I added a few teeny spots of Nuvo Crystal.

I inked the stamp again with Chipped Sapphire DI and spritzed with water then did a bit of random stamping onto a scrap of watercolour card. I tried to blend the ink a little across the background - (note to self - more practice needed at this!)

The sentiment is also from Technique Tuesday.
Also sharing at -
CUYL #112 - Blue/Flower/Watercolour
Creatalicious - A/G + Blue
Pixie's Snippets Playground - (Blossom and background were offcuts of watercolour card)
Make My Monday - Lots of Flowers
Alphabet - F for Flowers

Thanks for looking today, have a lovely day whatever you're doing. x

Sunny Days!

Well!  The weather here has been amazingly wonderful - really warm and beautiful sunshine and according to the forecast set to stay for a few days over our Easter Holiday weekend.
I am just hoping that this isn't our Summer!
I treated myself to some Water Brush pens this week and have been trying them out.
Trawling the internet I came across this
 https://channin.wordpress.com/2019/04/12/water-media-mat-faux-watercolor-stamping/
and I thought 'perfect for trying out my new stash!
 
The poppy stamp is by Technique Tuesday and with some removal of ink from the other parts of the stamp I managed to just keep isolating one flower head.

The sentiment is from the same set, white embossed.

This was my second attempt.😳😳

The first one I haven't discarded completely and may make an appearance at a later date - but I have somehow managed to leave quite a large space in between the flowers and will need to think carefully about how I am going to disguise it! (The position of the space  doesn't really lend itself to a sentiment I don't think but.........!!!!)

Am going to pay a second visit this month to CAS Watercolour where the challenge is 'Poppy'.
Also sharing over at
Daring Cardmakers - Blooming Wonderful
MAWTT - That Spring Feeling
A2S+M - Make your Mark

Happy Easter and I hope the sun is shining wherever YOU are! x

Hello

The challenge for April at CAS Watercolour is Poppies.
I found this small stamp in my stash that had 3 poppies on it - it also had some agapanthus in the background - these were removed after careful application with a cotton bud and some cleaner after I'd inked the stamp!

I coloured it with Inktense Watercolour pencils.

I am not feeling very inspired at the moment (real life again) so the addition of the die cut sentiment coloured in a gradient of the colours used for the stamped image and background was the only embellishment.

I DO though, have a few things unassembled on the desk which I intend to turn my attention to over the next few days!

We had a truly beautiful day here yesterday. I ventured outside in a short sleeve shirt with my cuppa so it must have been warm.

There's a bit more cloud about today but at least the temperature hasn't dropped too much.

Hoping that the warmer days are becoming the norm now rather than the exception!


Also sharing at

CAS on Friday - Spring
Cardz 4 Galz - Flora.
Thanks for taking the time to pay me a call today. I hope that you are warm too in your part of the world! x

Vellum

Visitors to my blog will know that on Sunday here I made a wild statement to try and join in as many of the CAS Mix Up and Sister blog challenges as I could.   My intentions were good at that time - and then............
I saw this months challenge at CAS Watercolour.

Vellum  ....    I mean VELLUM????      Vellum hates me. I don't know why, it just does.
But a statement of intent is a statement of intent - so I found the vellum (thrown away in a drawer in disgust no doubt) and looked at it.
It stared back at me. I still looked at it. It still stared back at me.
I looked at it and before it got a chance to look back I decided to use it - to use as little as possible - but to use it.

I count the Cherry Blossom stamp from Technique Tuesday as one of my faves.  Cherry Blossom reminds me of Spring and I love Spring when everything is starting to grow and flower.

I stamped and white embossed. 

I imprisoned the hated vellum in a frame of tape (stuck down as hard as I could to get my own back) and used my watercolour pencils to colour.

When dry I reluctantly released it from it's tape prison ....  and then cut it up. (Revenge is mine👿👿)

Fussy cut the 3 flowers and dotted teeny blobs of liquid pearls onto the stamens.

I die cut and watercoloured a branch and a frame and used one of the very first EF's ever bought (Oriental Set) as the Cherry Blossom EF I thought was a good background .
Mounted the embossed piece behind the frame.
A simple stamped sentiment finished it off.

And I finished the vellum off by returning it to it's dark drawer!!

Am sharing this over at
Flower Challenge - A/Goes
Allsorts - Fave Season (Spring)
CAS on Friday - Vellum
Daisy Chain - Spring

Thanks for looking! x

CAS x 2

A card for 2 challenges -
CAS Watercolour  is 2 years old! Hard to believe it's been that long since the challenge started but Happy Birthday! Their challenge this month is a colour one chosen by Bonnie - Orange/Green and Brown

and the lovely Mac is hosting the CAS Mix Up challenge - and the elements for that are Metal/Stamping/Your Own Choice. (So mine was Embossing!)  This card was never intended to fit the 2 challenges but I think it contains all the elements!

The leaves were cut using blue metal dies so maybe Marianne Dies? Anyway, I cut them out using some leftover watercolour card then coloured them with water soluble wax pastels, using the 3 colours that Bonnie stipulated in varying degrees of depth.

Another leftover piece used for the wood embossed background which I attached to the base card.
I used Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink for the sentiment which is from SU and cut out with a stitched die.
So CAS Watercolour sorted!   When I'd finished though I felt the card was lacking something but didn't know what.

Then I remembered some gold wire which I had - after spending 20 minutes on my hands and knees under the desk I emerged clutching the wire - which I remember saving and thinking it would come in useful.... have no idea where it came from.
I just added it around the sentiment and curled it round the top leaf  - am hoping that wire counts as metal but if it doesn't am sure someone will tell me!

Daisy Chain - Autumn/Fall
House of Cards - Autumn Colours
Use Your Stuff - Autumn
Crazy for Cas - Fall (in Love)

We've had some lovely weather today and same is forecast for tomorrow so we may get a day out and about to enjoy the sunshine! Hope the sun is shining where you are too. x

Rainbow

There has been no chance of seeing a Rainbow here in the last week...😃😃 weather here has been glorious. Wall to wall sunshine!
Hoping that it lasts all summer.

I started this with the intention of taking part in this month's CAS Watercolour challenge where the theme is, of course, Rainbow.
It has been a couple of months since I was able to join Loll and Co and likely it will be a sporadic visiting time over the summer as my Presidential Team duties take me away once again.
But I promised myself that I would try and enter - now that it is finished I am not sure that there is enough white space for it to be deemed truly CAS but am linking it to show that at least I tried!

Used lots of lovely inks (I really DO like making messy) starting off with Candied Apple and worked my way through the colours until I finished with Chipped Sapphire.
The Dew Droplets were out on the desk so I used them......😀
Also linking to Crafty Cardmakers - (No patterned paper)  and  Addicted to Stamps - (Make Your Mark).
I hope the sun is shining where you are and thank you for looking today! x

The Garden Wall

Almost the weekend! Altho how much of a good weekend will have to be seen as we have snow forecast again! So it will be a very very GOOD weekend if it does 'cos I can just stay in the craftie space!! (Probably in my PJ's too - sheer bliss!)

Made a card for this month's challenge at CAS Watercolour. The theme is 'Garden'.
I don't use digital images very often now but I remembered I had this one which was a freebie many moons ago - I think the company was Just Inklined - but am not sure.

The image is called 'Garden Wall' so am hoping it qualifies for the theme - if not never mind cos I have another card for my stash! 
It was quite a nice image to colour. I printed it out on watercolour card then left it overnight.
All coloured with Distress Inks.
I highlighted the wall with Old Paper DI creating a wash then going over the cracks again to give it more depth.

Am quite pleased with my colouring on this - I am usually guilty of being too heavy handed and using too much ink but this looks fine (to me!)

Also popping over to share at
The Flower Challenge - Anything Goes
Sparkles Monthly - Spring
Pearly Sparkles - Flowers

Hoping everyone is safe and well in their part of blogland. Thanks for calling in - I really appreciate your visits. x

3 in a row!

My goodness this is the third consecutive day of posting! (Making uo for all the time I was absent last summer!)
Have moved now from anniversary/love ones for the stash on to baby ones (will share later) but this is one of the smalzchy gooey ones.........

......made because the stamp set was still out on the desk from my previous 'love shower' card here!

Started by using Spun Sugar DI onto the stamping block and spritzed with water to create the watercolour wash background.
Stamped the handle of the brolly - considered colouring it but changed my mind!.
The umbrella canopy stamped and embossed with white onto a scrap of spotty paper and then popped up with foam pads.

Rummaged about in the 'scrap box' and found odd teeny bits of card (why I kept such small pieces I don't know but glad I did!) and then punched out all the hearts.
I punched out too many so now have a lots of these floating about in the scrap box too!

They were really fiddly to stick onto the card - I ended up using a pair of tweezers and dunking the heart into some glue as I gave up trying to glue the back of them whilst holding between my fingers - there was more glue on me......

Sentiment stamped and a few Dew Drops for a little bit more interest to the background.
Not too bad?

 Joining in at
CAS-ual Fridays - Hearts
Pixies Playground #319
CAS Watercolour - Heart
AAA - Love
Crafting W/Dragonflies - Valentine/Romantic
Daring Cardmakers - Pic Inspiration
House of Cards - Valentine background or colours

I have a nice lazy week planned - next duty is Sunday in the Midlands - so I have a little bit of messy inkiness time to look forward to! x