Mid way at Try It On Tuesday

Our 'WHAT A NIGHT' challenge is half way through at TRY IT ON TUESDAY.

Near the top of my wish list for several years has been wanting to see the spectacle of the Aurora Borealis.
We were planning a trip to colder and more Northerly climes for late 2025 in the hope that we may be lucky and then in 2024 she showed herself not just once but several times in England and I (along with many others) actually had their wish granted without having to travel anywhere!

First time I rushed outside at 1am watching these dancing green and pink columns above my head and then on two more occasions I saw the sight again that I never thought I would be fortunate enough to see.

The last sighting just before Christmas was the most spectacular - vivid pink columns before eventually the other coloured dancing lights appeared in the starry sky.

So I credit the Lady Aurora for inspiring me to make this card.

Of course it isn't as perfect as the real thing but it captures for me the first moments of the last appearance - and the sentiment is definitely true - I will definitely remember the moments I saw this natural phenomenon!
Tree stamps are from Inkylicious.

Thanks for looking and for any comments you leave - hope you are able to join our challenge too!
Have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Traditional Christmas at Try It On Tuesday

 Christmas is looming and our challenge for the next 2 weeks at Try it On Tuesday is called 'TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS'
There is nothing more traditional than a Christmas Tree is there?
So here's my take on the theme -

I am not very good at sewing but I confess to having such fun making these - so much so I ended up making a whole forest in different sizes! (Well quite a few anyway!)

I have long been promising to get round to using up scraps of material and lace which have lain in a box for years.
I also have a massive amount of stash (like everybody else) which I hoard because in 48 years time I might need it for something...........

I made a little dent in the pile and enjoyed myself!
I hand stitched most of the decoration on the triangle trees which were sewed on the machine and were cut from the remains of a fat quarter.

The 'trunk' is a pencil wrapped in twine
I used some stuffing from an old cushion to fill the trees, then glued a little bit of stuffing to the pencil before glueing again and pushing into the tree top.

I was a bit bothered as I wasn't sure if this would work but happy to say it dried well inside and the glue didn't seep through to the material.

The pencil trunk was glued into oasis which had been glued into the little buckets. Again I wasn't sure how good this would turn out but it's dried solid and the trees are quite stable, the biggest one measures about 12 inches tall.

Added some snowy stuff, some glittery bits of a scrap of yarn and wooden shapes (which I have had FOREVER)
Hope you will join us for this challenge!
Will share some of the others in another post. Thanks for looking. x
Linking up at
Pixies Playground with all of my lace and odd leftovers!
Crafty Catz - A/Goes
Simon says Stamp - Trees
Double Trouble Thing 1 - Stitch it Up

Text Time!

 Our new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is 'ADD SOME TEXT'.

I took some watercolour paper and smooshed a purple/lilac/pink background trying to put the inks only two thirds of the way on the card.

Normally I use acetate for smooshing as I like to see where it's going but thought I'd try it directly from the craft mat for this.

Once the paper was dry, I used a very old tree stamp (that old I have no idea where it came from!) and began to build up the 'forest'.

I used Distress Oxides in shades of Lucky Clover, Shabby Shutters and Bundled Sage. I spritzed the inked up stamp each time before using in the hope that I'd achieve a misty effect!

The sentiment is from Inkylicious - another I have had for a long time but rarely used.
Finished with one of Inkylicious bird stamps and mounted onto black card.

Hope you will share a creation with us this challenge and thanks for looking today! x

Also sharing at
Path of Positivity - Anything Positive Goes
Daisy Chain - No Designer Paper

Flaming Sky

 My friends other half runs a Hot Air Balloon company and in one of our previous houses we were surrounded by fields - it was perfectly normal for him to be flying over the field next door very low - and on two occasions landing in it! Cue one very irritated farmer!
(Have just read that back and it sounds like we move every five minutes - the house I am talking about we were in for almost 30 years!)

I  bought this Card-io set called 'Up Up and Away' last year and this was the first time of inking so I am hopping over to NBUS before this months challenge closes.

I saw something similar to this some time back on Pinterest and with a birthday looming for my friends hubby it was the perfect opportunity to use the set.

I wanted a sunset sky but think I might have overdone it cos it actually looks like the forest below is on fire..............🙈🔥🔥

Regulars to my blog will know how much I like ink blending!
Used Crackling Campfire (how apt!), Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door and Black Soot for my background.

The trees are one of my most used stamp sets - they're from Inkylicious and I love them.

Simply stamped in black Versafine Clair in the foreground and then used Versafine Crimson Red for my second and third generation stamping.
Am sharing over at
MMM- Create your own Background
Dragonfly Dreams - Happy Birthday
Mix It Up - Make your own background
SOS - Colour me Beautiful

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'.

Mid Month at CAS Mix Up

Our 'STENCIL MONOPRINT' challenge is halfway through at CAS Mix Up. My first make at the start of the month is here
It's hard to believe that we are in the middle of November! We all have a little break over December so this is my last CAS Mix Up post of the year - we are back on 1st January with a brand new challenge for a new year (and hopefully a new house for me!)

So I have done 2 cards in anticipation of our little holiday during December - bit of a long post!

The first one is another masculine card using an Art Deco style stencil from Funky Fossil.
The print was done using Chipped Sapphire and Blueprint Sketch inks.

I matted the panel onto dark blue card and the sentiment was stamped in Versafine Midnight ink

The second card has lots of white but has a couple of layers so although not absolutely strictly CAS it does show how much I like messing about monoprinting stencils!

Again my stencil is from Funky Fossil and it gets a lot of use at this time of year - I really like the modern look of the trees.

I used Bundled Sage and Mowed Lawn to pull my print and then die cut the trees.

Added another die cut piece of a snowy hill with trees and an embossed snowy sky.

Lots of gorgeous makes from the DT over at the challenge blog, hope you will have a go at this technique if you've not already done so - it's another way of stretching your stash and the results can be fab!

Mid Month CAS Mix Up

It's mid month reminder time for the challenge at CAS Mix Up. This mixed media month has the theme of BOTANICAL PRINTS.
This is a fun technique and although I am struggling to have any inspiration for card making, I did enjoy the theme set by Bonnie.
Lots of gorgeous examples from the Design Team though and our special Guest Designer Izzy along with some video tutorials all on the blog!

As I steered away from Autumn shades in my launch card, I used them on this one but opted for the duller brown shade rather than the vibrant red and orange with which we always relate this time of year to.
This botanical print was done with leaves from a rather large oak tree which sits at the bottom of the path in this rental house.

I used Espresso Truffle ink to get the impression.

Some soft ink blending for a bit of background interest and matted onto brown card.

The acorns were from a free set with a magazine, stamped, embossed, watercoloured and fussy cut then I added some glossy accents to make them shine.

I apologise for the poor picture which really looks rather 'flat' and doesn't show the colours very well at all - there simply isn't a place anywhere here with good light to take images - soooo frustrating!

Thanks for looking and hope you will join us this month. x

CAS Christmas April Challenge

It seems even weirder now to be making Christmas cards when we have blue skies and sunshine BUT - having ventured outside it is really cold so it feels more like Winter!
This month's challenge at CAS Christmas is RAINBOW
Here's my card which I am hoping is CAS enough 

I am still trying to keep using all the coloured cardstock that I have so black for this one which is normally used for layering!
For a long time I have tried to achieve a decent attempt at a night sky reminiscent of the Northern Lights.
(I have a burning ambition to actually see the lights for real and it is number 1 on my wish list.)

I used sooooo many inks for this sky but you know, I was really happy with it!

Flicked some white Posca pen across it to give a 'starry' effect.

I cut out two rows of trees, one in black and another in watercolour card.

I tried to watercolour the trees in the same colours as the sky immediately above them!
I offset the black trees behind to give a little 'shadow'.

The sentiment is one of my fave Christmas dies.

I am feeling very pleased  as it is now month 4 and I have kept my promise to take part in CAS Christmas every month!
(But I keep reminding myself it's only a quarter of the way through the year!!!)
Wishing you all a Happy Easter weekend. x

Sharing at
Jingle Belles - Dies

A little paint

As ideas have deserted me I haven't done much over the last few days.
Our weather did nothing to inspire either - it went from a lovely Spring day to howling wind and horizontal rain!

With nothing else to do I just got out the watercolour paints. I find watercolouring is very therapeutic even though I am not an artist - I cannot draw at all and normally my watercolouring is confined to using with stamps.

This one was just a little freehand fiddling and to be honest it would never qualify as a work of art but I am content to have produced it.

(I have a recollection of seeing 4 large mirrored glass pictures depicting the seasons with the tree foliage done with blown glass when out at a restaurant with friends a long time ago, so maybe that is what prompted this)

It's been a really really tough week personally 😩 (as no doubt it has been for others) - so am trying to keep wearing the big girl's pants 👖 and crossing my fingers that the end of the storm is not too far away and the golden sky 🌈 will appear.

Sharing this simple make over at AAA Cards.

(Note to Blog Buddy Ros - I will never match your drawing skills! x)

Tree

Been carrying on with Christmas makes - I probably have enough but figured it's best to keep going whilst I am in the mood! 

This card uses a Never Before Used Stamp - it's not a new one - I think Penny Black released it a few years ago, it's simplicity appealed to me as I thought it was a lovely tree.

I figured on using it to make one layer batch CAS cards with just simple stamping and colouring.  Ha! Total cards made with this stamp  =  ONE. This one! And definitely not one layer simple stamping and colouring!

That said I was quite happy with this when it dried out - I am still very much experimenting with my watercolour backgrounds - and a long way to go - but overall I don't think it's too bad.

I resisted the temptation to 'spatter it', no 'snow' spatters or even water droplets, just left it as it was.
The sentiment is a new one (more NBUS!) from Penny Black so of course I am linking up at the NBUS Challenge too!

Sharing over at
ABC Christmas - X for Xtra Special
Fezziwig - Decorate the Tree
Holly & Ivy - Anything Christmas

Thanks for looking - and I welcome your comments on my watercolouring efforts good or bad! x

Brusho Christmas

 I sometimes look at my craft stash and think 'It's a long time since I used that'.... and so it is with my Brushos.
I don't use them enough - probably because I am not very good with them!

This card was inspired by a technique I saw a while ago and I stored it up to try it.... long forgotten but it just for some reason popped into my head when I saw the challenge at my Cas Mix Up's sister blog-  CAS Christmas this month was 'Christmas Tree'.

The technique is to simply 'ink' your stamp liberally with water, stamp onto watercolour card and sprinkle the Brushos on the wet impression, allowing each impression to dry before repeating.

I struggle so much with Brushos and also the 'move the colour around with a brush' thing that everyone I know seems to be so good at so there were several failed attempts before I managed to achieve something which I call 'passable'!
I was also limited as I only have a 12 colour starter pack so the colour options were not many - I used Emerald Green and Ultramarine.

Once dry I just dotted a white gel pen randomly before adding the sentiment.
As I said, this for me is a passable effort - I doubt if I am ever going to become expert.
I am struggling a little lately - my problems are compounded by the fact that no matter how much I try the face mask just makes me panic after 5 minutes. So for me now it's simply out in the car to somewhere flat so I can just walk - a visit to the shops are no longer an option. The weather here tho' has not been the best for walking which probably explains the 'restlessness' I am experiencing and my complete lack of any inspiration or motivation!

Stay safe wherever you are in the world. x
Linking up at
Sweet Stampin' - A/thing but a Birthday Card
Time Out - Season
CRAFT- Christmas

An early start!

There's no doubt that joining in Christmas challenges means less panic come the end of November. I did a few from the middle of 2019 and it was the first time in years I have not felt I have been chained 🙍to the craft desk churning out nothing but Christmas cards -  so I am going to try and join in again this year as often as I can!
The CAS Christmas challenge this month is to use a tag on your card.
So here's my card for the gallery

A blended ink background  (Cracked Pistachio/Peacock Feathers) on a scrap of card and liberally splattered with white acrylic paint was my starting point, then cut to a tag shape.

The sentiment white embossed and added some die cut trees.

I used a snow embossing folder for the card base and cut out another row of trees putting them across the card and added a torn scrap of paper. I gave this torn piece a liberal application of some Stickles but left the trees behind plain.

Used foam pads on the tag to pop it up and some Stickles on the trees on the tag. (None of the Stickles show up very well but it does have a nice sparkle 💎!)

The ribbon was hand dyed with Cracked Pistachio DI.

The photo taking really frustrated me as we have yet another very grey and horrible day here!

I'm hoping that  the forecast is correct and we get rid of these dark overcast skies as it would be nice to see some bright blue even if it's frosty!

Have a great day whatever you're doing! x

Linking up to

ABC Christmas - Die Cut/CAS/Embossing
Crafty Calendar - Add a Tag
C@SS - Add some sparkle

Twofer and more!

I took advantage of the Twofer Challenge rules being relaxed a little this month as we can make 2 different cards for the same occasion instead of different occasions with the theme of Holiday Greenery.

I used a Penny Black tree stamp from the Peaceful Winter set (30-450).

The square one uses 2 different tree stamps in varying shades of green, with one topped with a punched out gold shiny star and a sentiment from the Merry Up set (30-622).

The larger card on the left had the 'sky' inked with Chipped Sapphire and Seedless Preserve and the snowdrifts done with Tumbled Glass and Weathered Wood.  White embossed the tree, stamped the sentiment and spattered with acrylic paint before mounting it onto a stitched die.

As well as the Twofer challenge I am also linking up to -
PB&More  -  Christmas
Holly & Ivy - Anything Christmas
Christmas @ Sweet Stampin' - Trees

Thanks for looking and if you've left me a comment I really appreciate it. have a lovely day whatever you're doing. x