Half way!

We're mid way through our SPARKLE ALL THE WAY theme at TRY IT ON TUESDAY

My make for the start of the challenge is HERE if you've not seen it

And here's another card which is especially sparkly and consequently especially difficult to show!

This is another very quick Christmas card for my stash.

I used black glitter paper for the background - not usually my thing but I actually quite like how it turned out.

The sparkle effect is immense in real life.

A very simple card, just a couple of die cut snowflakes from white glitter card with a tiny gem in the centre of each and a sentiment also from the white glitter card.

A few tiny snowflakes which were the waste from another die!

You still have time to join us - and we'd love to see you! x

More Text

 We are mid way through our 'Add Some Text' challenge at Try It On Tuesday and once again we have some lovely entries - you still have time to join us too!

For my second make for this challenge I went back to largely CAS.
After a lot of inky makings a little change was nice!

I wasn't sure about the text on this one.
It's from an Altenew set called 'Moments In Time' which I have never used - I'd be interested to know if you like it?
I personally think the exclamation mark at the end kind of spoils the message!

I never have much success with Brushos - I normally spray too much water and it turns out a blobby mess!  I've watched endless tutorials too.

But I wiped the dust off the little tubs (they've been neglected for a long time) and after 3 attempts for this make I managed to achieve the background I wanted!

Those who know me know I am a bit of a Lavinia freak - but this stamp rates among my all time Lavinia faves - I just love it! I resisted adding any colour or bling to her wings just leaving as a plain silhouette.

So quite a simple card and if you're good with Brushos you could probably have it done in half an hour!

Thanks for visiting me today and thank you for any comments you leave - I really appreciate it! x

Mid Month at Try It On Tuesday

A little reminder of our current challenge at Try It On Tuesday which is called 'Sparkle All The Way'.
This is a remake of a card I made a few Christmases ago and it turned out to be one of my faves so every year I make a couple to send.

Sparkly die cut branch and a set of die cut sparkly stars on an ink blended background of Chipped Sapphire and Stormy Sky and a liberal helping of posca pen splatters - a really simple card.

The Inkylicious sentiment I think is just beautiful.

Thanks for looking - there's still time to join us if you haven't already - and even if you have you can do so again!!   

Sharing at -
MMM - Lighting the Way
Pearly Sparkles - Christmas/Winter
Dragonfly Dreams - Photo

CAS Mix Up Mid Month Reminder

We're halfway through our challenge at CAS Mix Up, which has the challenge of 'Emboss Resist', set by Nancy.

My stamp is an old one from Kaiserkraft.
It was one of those that I bought because I liked it - then hardly used!

The heat embossed stamp was inked with Distress Oxide.
I stamped again on a scrap of card and black heat embossed the centre butterfly before colouring and fussy cutting.

Popped up with a small foam pad for dimension.
Finished with a sentiment from SU.

I went a bit mad with the splatters - they were supposed to be a little less intense - but the Posca pen decided to spit out a few larger blobs!

Thanks for looking and I really hope you have found time to join us this month - there's a little time left if you haven't! x

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

Stamping Sensations Mid Month reminder

We're half way through our June 'Make It Colourful' challenge at Stamping Sensations. 

There's some lovely creations in our gallery and you still have time to join in!

I have used a stamp from our sponsor Visible Image (Ink Splats Set)  which is sadly 😭 no longer available but I love it!

I combined it with a brick background stencil, a large sentiment stamp from Bee  Crafty and some other grungey inky stamps from another very old set to make a quick card which was for a young man who is about to embark on the next exciting chapter of his life.

I thought the sentiment was perfect to remind him that he only gets one chance and to make the most of everything that comes his way!


More inspiration (if you need it) over on the challenge blog along with our rules (please read!) and of course details of the prize!
Have a great day whatever you're doing. x     

CAS MIX UP- Mid Month Reminder

Half way through our first challenge on the new look CAS MIX UP blog -
and the challenge set by Susan is EMBOSSING VELLUM.

(My DT launch post is HERE if you missed it first time round!)

I took one of my biggest stamps and heat embossed onto my vellum.

Overlaid it onto some Raspberry card stock and to hide where I stuck it down at the top, die cut a scalloped edge and popped this over it with some foam pads.

(I had seen something similar to this done by a fellow blogger and thought it was a great idea to hide the sticky bits which I always manage to be able to see when I use vellum!)

We have some lovely cards to show you from the Design Team and our Guest Designer BONNIE  over at the challenge blog and we love to read your comments so please come and visit.

Really hope that you will share your make in our gallery this month! 

May Mid Month at Stamping Sensations

Wee half way through our 'Say it with Flowers' challenge at  Stamping Sensations  and this month we have prizes from Chocolate Baroque and our teamie Dora , who has a wonderful artistic talent and produces some gorgeous hand drawn images.

I have again used one of Dora's beautiful flowers -  isn't it pretty?! (if you want to see another -  click here to go to my first DT post)

Watercoloured and fussy cut first - I opted for blue as for me it's a bit of a change from my normal pinks and yellows for flowers!

I didn't want a fussy background as wanted the flower to be the star of the front of the card - I stamped a few grassy strands and then second generation stamped a few pale blue flowers in Broken China DI.

I overstamped the bottom of the flower stem a few times with another grass stamp and think I have achieved my intention of disguising the cut flower stem at the bottom!

A few ink spatters and sentiment to finish.

Still lots of time for you to put in an entry  - and with some great prizes, you'd be daft not to have a go!
Thanks for looking today - have a great day! x

April Mid Month at Stamping Sensations

Back with my mid month reminder for Stamping Sensations!
Our 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' theme is proving popular but there is still time for you to enter!
Pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at the great prize from Be Creative - and if you're still seeking inspiration the DT have done some great makes on the original post HERE and also on the reminder post! Please take some time to read our challenge rules before submitting your entry!
Once again I used the Rainbow colours as a base for my card.

Making these rainbow coloured cards made me feel quite contented! There is something quite therapeutic and soothing  about these shades I think.
Distress inks used (from the bottom of the card)- Faded Jeans, Twisted Citron, Mustard Seed, Squeezed Lemonade, Dried Marigold, Spun Sugar, Festive Berries, Shaded Lilac.

The Cherry Blossom stamp is one of the first wood backed stamps that I bought. At some point I have removed it from it's wood backing! Stamped in Versafine and used Gathered Twigs on the branches, and coloured the flowers with a white Gel pen, adding a little Gold Pearl to each flower centre.
A couple of punched butterflies, a sentiment and a black card mat to finish before popping it onto the white card base.
Am sharing over at - 

Allsorts - Flowers
Alphabet - A for A/Goes
Stamplorations - Stamps and Flight
Just Add Ink - Photo #501 colours

Hugs to everyone - have a good weekend. xx

February Mid Month at Stamping Sensations

It's half way time at the Stamping Sensations challenge this month.
Our theme is 'Feminine' and if you've not yet entered grab those girly themed stamps and get making!

Our sponsors are JMC Designs and  Bee Crafty and rather than me tell you about it, pop over to the challenge blog, have a look at what you could win and don't forget to check out our rules!
If you don't follow them then we can't select you for the prize!

I used one of Julia's digis called 'Marcelle', who is so obviously French (well she is to me anyway!).

So a French girl simply HAS to have a French background!

I printed the digi out onto watercolour paper and left overnight.

Stamped an Eiffel Tower from a very old stamp set and watercoloured a background.

After colouring the digi was fussy cut and popped onto the background using foam pads.
The sentiment is from the same set.

Hope you can find time to make a 'girly' card/project and look forward to seeing it in the gallery! x

CAS Stencil Mid Month Reminder

We're halfway through our challenge of Using Foil with your Stencils at CAS Stencil this month set by Barb.
I had fun using this technique and here's my DT card

I used some Brushos on mixed media paper for the background to my stars.
The stencil was a Christmas present!

Used Transfer Gel and a blue Deco Foil, running it through the old laminator.
After foiling I die cut out the stars.

The rest of the stamping on the card was done with silver metallic ink using a Stampin Up set.

Another card for my stash of masculine cards!

The one thing that no one tells you is that sometimes taking a pic to show off the shiny bits is a tad difficult!
So here's a little close up of my stars which are very shiny!!

Look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery!x

January mid month at Stamping Sensations

If you are here looking for my CAS Stencil DT card please scroll down to the next post or click on the link HERE

Half way through the first month of 2020 and here's a reminder for this month's challenge at Stamping Sensations
The challenge is to 'Use your Favourite Stamps' - which is simply impossible for me!! I have so many stamps that I like it is really hard to choose a favourite one so I have opted to use a set which sees ink quite a bit!

Lots of second and third generation stamping on bright white card using stamps from Stampin' Up's Flowering Fields set.

Inked the stamps using distress markers and spritzed some before stamping - quite like the watercolour effect!

This was quick and simple to do and brilliant for last minute makes!

There's still plenty of time for you to join us and to be in with a chance of winning!  Please though have a look at our rules before you link up!

Our prize this month is sponsored by the wonderful Tattered Lace.

So get making and linking, go over to the challenge blog, check out the inspiration from my teamies and whilst you're there have a look at the prize!

CAS Stencil - October Mid Month reminder

We're halfway through our October challenge at CAS Stencil where Loll set us the theme of 'Patterned Paper'.
My paper comes from a vintage themed pad called - ?????  No idea 'cos I lost the front cover but it is full of scripts/roses/newspaper print/old franking machines and ink and pencils!

I used one of the lighter coloured and less fussy sheets for this make.

The newspaper print, pencils and word 'Perfect' is actually part of the sheet and I just stamped the other words round it after heat embossing in white through this pretty corner stencil.

I dabbed a little bit more embossing powder round the edge before matting onto grey card.

Finished with a couple of scored lines and a bit of twine.

So - you have time to come and join us oif you haven't already done so - and even if you have - MAKE ANOTHER!!!
Our Guest designer Gundi and the rest of the team have some great makes to inspire you!

Mid Month - Stamping Sensations September Challenge

A reminder that our challenge at Stamping Sensations this month is 'Anything Goes with Flowers'

Bee Crafty are our sponsors and there's details of the prize over on the challenge blog.
(Please read our rules before submitting your entry)

This was a reasonably quick make as I have not had much time - (holiday looming! - in fact by the time you read this I shall be on my way ✈⛱🌞)

Stamp heat embossed in black and watercoloured.

A simple die cut sentiment and job done!

Would love for you to join us this month - grab your flower stamps and get making!

Hope the weather is as nice for you as it is where I'll be!! Happy Crafting. x

April Reminder for Stamping Sensations

Time for a quick reminder that we are half way through this month's 'April Showers Brings May Flowers' challenge theme at Stamping Sensations.
I have this card to share and hope that if you haven't already joined our wonderful challenge that you will create something and join us - there's a whopping £25 voucher to be spent at the 'be Creative!' store as our prize this month!

I used watercolour card and stamped this flower stamp several times, masking as I went along.
I have had this red rubber stamp for a long time and surprisingly have hardly used it!

The leaves are from another set.
I clear embossed the stamped images and watercoloured.

Some Liquid Pearls dotted in the flower centres.

The sentiment stamp is by Inkylicious.

I am a little disappointed with the quality of this pic - each flower was coated with Glossy Accents and they shone off the front but sadly you can't see this and as it is already on it's way to someone, you will just have to take my word for it!!

Joining the challenges at -
Allsorts -Blossoms
TIOT - Springtime
Sweet Stampin - Spring
PB & More - Spring

Thanks for looking!

A Mid Month Reminder!

This is the first time I have been able to join in with our Mid Month reminders at Stamping Sensations (it's also likely to be the last for a couple of months too!).

This was a really quick card to make - and I used one of my fave sentiments stamps - cos it suits me very well!

I used a coloured card base for a change - it's not often I use up any of my coloured card!

The background is DP. I loved it 💗, bought it 😦 and have looked at it for a long long time 😉😉. (Years in fact).
So I steeled myself and used it.😱

Just quick and simple, mounted it onto white card, used the Poppy Border stamp, a couple of dragonflies and the sentiment - all embossed with white EP.
A few blingy bits and a little 'schparklie' on the dragonflies wings and finished.

Our theme this month is 'In My Garden'.
If you haven't joined us yet there's still time and you could win a fab prize from our wonderful sponsor CRAFTY INDIVIDUALS - so what are you waiting for??!!

If you still need some ideas, hop over to the challenge blog and have a look at the DT's mid months too - if you have time, please leave a comment - we love to hear from you!

I am joining in at -
Country View Crafts - In My Garden
CDTOC - A/Goes
CHPP - A/Goes with Patterned Paper
Daisy Chain - Summer