Colourful at Try It On Tuesday

Here we are with another challenge at TRY IT ON TUESDAY and this time the theme is 'MAKE IT COLOURFUL'

I opted to do a simple and easy make using strips of coloured card - you know from all the millions of odd bits we save cos they'll come in useful....... and in fact never use!

I used up quite a few odd scraps cos I made a couple of these and made the fronts different by using different flower dies and using different greetings.

They'll be handy in the card box and am also linking up to Snippets Playground with my snippets make!.

Hope you can join us - pop over to the challenge blog and have a look at the colourful creations from the DT!

Thanks for taking the time to look in on my blog. x

Spring

 Our fortnightly challenge starts again today at TRY IT ON TUESDAY and we're celebrating SPRING
Any project which means Spring to you

I had the flower die folder out so I cut 2 Spring Daisies (well they look like daisies to me!)

Coloured with Mondeluz pencils. They then sat on my desk for almost 2 weeks as I simply couldn't think of anything to do with them.

In desperation I opted for a honeycomb embossing folder and stamped and coloured a little bee.

When I tucked the flowers in the base it still looked bare so I just stamped a few bits of foliage from a very old and very well used Hobby Art set in Bundled Sage Oxide.

The sentiment is another one well used and eons old - stamped in Bundled Sage.
Thanks for looking and please come and join us at Try It on Tuesday with your spring creations! x 

A new challenge at TIOT

Another challenge at Try It On Tuesday starts today and it's called 3-2-1

So 3 of something, 2 of something and 1 of something on your project. You can make anything you like as long as it incorporates the challenge theme.

I made a relatively CAS card which started out as white on white but having looked at the components spread out on the craft mat for a day I decided to add a tiny dusting of colour.

So 3 flowers edged in a light dusting of Picked Raspberry ink, coupled with 2 pieces of 'trellis' in Cracked Pistachio and 2 die cut stems all mounted onto 1 wavy edged die cut square.

I added a tiny die cut centre with a teeny pearl onto the flowers as I thought it lifted them a bit.

Hope you can join us at TIOT - have a peek at what the rest of the team have come up with too!
Thanks for looking today - I appreciate you coming to see me. x  

Text

 Our Try It On Tuesday challenge for the next 2 weeks is 'ADD SOME TEXT'

I made a few cards like this several years ago with different coloured backgrounds when I was looking to add a few cards to my own stash box. An added bonus was that they were quick and easy to do!

I tried dark blue and silver, plum coloured card with gold, red card with black etc but by far the one I liked the best was the one done on a black background with gold.  

As I am trying to keep on an even keel and not get stressed I decided to re-do something from the past rather than sitting looking at a blank desk wondering what to do!

Plain black card gold heat embossed with a text stamp (that old I have no idea where it came from) and a dandelion die (or is it a Cornflower??) -I think it's a Sizzix one cos it's that rusty brown colour.

I added a heart shaped word die to this one, cut twice, once in white then in gold mirri card and fussy cut the word.

Hope you will join us this over the next 2 weeks and please stop by the challenge blog and see what the rest of the team have done this time round!.

Thanks for looking today. x

Simple!

 Try It On Tuesday's challenge this fortnight is called 'KEEP IT SIMPLE'.

I re-visited a technique which I really enjoy doing - Print Making with Die Cuts.
I have used this die for this technique several times and it never fails!  This little cone flower is one of my fave dies. It is an old one but think it is from Sizzix.
I used watercolour card painted it up and began pressing the die cut across a background piece.
This method gives some lovely artsy ethereal backgrounds - and seeing as how I am terrible at watercolouring is a cheats way of doing it!

It's also means you can do quick cards, leaving a large amount of white space but still have a bright focal point!
I used some textured hammered cardstock for the base card.
Thanks for stopping by.

This is a scheduled post as I am currently having my trip of a life time so forgive me for
1. Not commenting on your blogs for this challenge and
2. Being absent for the next few weeks!
See you all soon! x

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

Keep It Simple at TIOT

 Our challenge for the next two weeks at Try It On Tuesday is called - 'KEEP IT SIMPLE'.
I hope that you can find time to join us and also pay a quick visit to the Design Team to see what they've come up with!

I have not had a lot of time recently as we have a big County Art and Craft Showcase in September and our W.I has been creating a very large project (more on that when I can reveal!)

So because of the time constraints and my brain being full of coming up with things to make (and making) for the very specific Showcase theme I turned to my saved folder for ideas and saw a card like this!

It was really quick and I am happy with how it turned out - I think the white over the black gives a crisp look and the lime green adds a big pop of colour.

I simply added a few enamel dots in the same lime green for a bit of interest.

I shall be doing a couple more using a different colour than black for the base card to put into my emergency stash I think!
Sharing over at
(Pin)spirational - Use Die Cuts
A Cut Above - Die Cuts
Thanks for looking and hope all is well in your part of blogland! x

Another Stencil and I.D.E.A.S

UPDATE 27TH MARCH -
Blogger decided to close our linky early on the challenge post and deleted everyone's entries!
If you've already entered we do have a record of your entry - if you've still to enter just link up as normal!

Our 'Use a Stencil' challenge at Try It On Tuesday has reached it's half way point of the fortnight tomorrow.

I needed a quick card for a friend who is definitely not into 'fussy, flowery and fancy' (her words not mine!) so made this.

It was intended to be a 'thinking of you' type of card without that exact sentiment if you understand me!

The stencil was inked with Twisted Citron.

The vases are from a Sizzix die set and I painted them with Distress Oxides - I watercoloured first then went over them using a dry brush to try and give some texture/depth. The orange one worked far better than the blue!

The stems were a gift from a friend and I cut them out with some Lime coloured card.

A simple quick CAS card - no frills or fussy just to let someone know if they were here I would give them a hug!

If you've not yet linked up to the challenge blog you still have another week to go!

Popping this over to Darnell's I.D.E.A.S link which this week is
'A is for Anything Goes' - and if you haven't a tickety boo what I am talking about all is revealed HERE on Dolly's blog!

Thanks for looking today. x

Mid way at TIOT Spring Challenge

 One week left for our current Spring themed challenge at Try It On Tuesday!

Think Springtime is a wonderful season.

I love seeing all the buds coming through on everything and the beautiful spring flowers are such lush colours - which now makes me wonder why I decided to use up some odd bits which were all white!

I used hammered cardstock to give the background a bit of texture and in the little box of unused bits I found some more so the all white was born!

Quick and simple make using dies too!
I love these little bunnies - especially the baby one - although he is easily lost as he is that tiny!

I didn't want to put Easter on it so struggled a bit finding a sentiment!

In the end I used two sentiments (both said Birthday)  masking off the Birthday word at the beginning of one and the end of the other and using my Misti to get them in the right position!

Still time to join us with a Spring themed creation - we love visiting your blogs!

Am also sharing this over at
Pixies Snippets Playground - I don't get there as often as I would like to but it's lovely to know it's there for me to pop in when I can!
This is my second entry into
Four Seasons - Spring

Thanks for stopping by. x 

Try It On Tuesday - new challenge

Our challenge theme at Try It On Tuesday for the next two weeks is HEARTS AND/OR FLOWERS
 

I was having a bit of a mooch through a box of odd pieces saved from other makes when I found two pieces left over from an acrylic dirty pour a long time back.

Looking at them I wondered why I kept a couple of them cos they were very small and odd shaped but obviously I was psychic as they fitted perfectly into the idea I had in my head for this challenge!
 
I embossed a piece of cardstock for some texture on the background then die cut my heart from the biggest saved piece.

I used the other small pieces to paper piece the flowers.
Am not sure whether I will use this as an anniversary card or another occasion so currently no sentiment!

I need to do this technique a little more often as I really enjoy it and you never know what patterns and designs are going to turn out!

Hope that you can find time to join us this challenge - look forward to seeing your creations as always! 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

August Card Chain Challenge

It's reveal day at the Card Chain Challenge and I re-visited an enjoyable technique for my make this month!
My card went off to Jo (http://angelnorth.blogspot.com/) here in the UK and I received a lovely card all the way from Oz from the lovely Robyn!
This month I managed to incorporate a couple of the challenge themes - opting to use as near as I could tothe colours given and using vellum.

The technique of double stamping on vellum is an easy but effective one starting by firstly white embossing your design on the front of the vellum then simply using normal ink on the reverse.

I used an old Stampendous set called Summer Leaves and usually I only use one colour ink on the reverse as it achieves a soft silhouette effect but because I wanted to try and get the challenge colours in this time I used Versacolour and Versafine Clair ink in Tangelo, Sage and Shady Lane. 

The effect is a bit more dramatic but I quite like it.

The reverse does take a little time to dry - you can speed it up with the heat gun but I am always worried in case the vellum warps too much or I overhear the already embossed front so I always leave to dry for a while before making up my card.

I added a large die greeting softly sponged in Tangelo and Shady Lane.

The 'sign up' for next month is open for the next couple of days if you fancy having a go -

it's lovely receiving cards from all over the world!
Also sharing over at
A Place to Start -  optional twist of leaves! (just made it before the challenge closed too!)

Life

 

Been a funny old week one way and another.

Life has a peculiar way of throwing you a curve ball one minute and then visiting upon you something to lift your spirits and make you feel that Life ain't so bad after all.

Hence the sentiment on this card.

I used some texture paste through the wave stencil and once dry lightly brushed over it randomly using Salty Ocean and Cracked Pistachio inks.
(I am really sorry about the photo - the light here is terrible!)

I had some tiny bits of card stacked ready to go in the paper recycling bin - I no longer keep little bits usually as I simply don't have any room for more stuff - but some of the bits came in handy as I have had this seahorse idea in my head for a day or two!

The tiny die cut seahorse was a mag freebie some time ago and coloured with Oxides - I added a teeny bit of copper gilding wax round the outline and a little bit on the body.
The shells and coral die cuts were also mag freebies.

We have had some torrential downpours the last few days and although I welcomed it in one respect as it meant I didn't have to water my pots, my poor dahlias and delphiniums are looking very sad this morning, the weight of the water laying heavy on their poor heads!

Anyway, I hope the sun is shining wherever you are and thanks for looking today!
Linking to
Pixies Snippets Playground #461
Cut it Up - Under the Sea
MTTC - Die Cuts
Stencil Fun - A/Goes

Pretty Papers at TIOT

 New challenge time at Try It On Tuesday!
Theme is 'PRETTY PAPERS', so we want to see paper somewhere on your project!

Like so many crafters I bought papers and liked them too much to use - so I made a promise not to buy any more and for several years now I have stuck to that promise.

I sent lots to the local charity shop and gave boxes away to a local school - but I kept just a few that were just too precious to part with. (That 'precious' none of them have seen the light of day for years and the paper box was under a ton of stuff in a cupboard!)

I remembered making a card very similar to this a long time ago so rooted about in the paper box and found these beautiful pink themed heavy textured papers - it is that long ago I have no idea where they came from.

I stitched them onto the card base after sticking some lace across the join.

My 'rose' centre is made from lots of tissue paper and a spellbinders flower die, fiddly to cut and assemble together but worth it I think.

A scrap of lace and a piece of pink card cut with the largest flower die helped me secure the layers together with a pearl brad in the centre and through a die cut label.
Sentiment and a tiny butterfly inked in pale pink to finish it all off.

Having not done anything remotely lacey and shabby for a while it was a change to do this and not get my fingers in an inky mess!

Please pop over to the blog and check out what our Guest Designer and the rest of the team have done - we all love visitors! And of course as always I hope you will join us with your paper projects!

Framed

 Had a few odd bits of card lying about and used them up to make this after seeing something similar some time ago.
Then had THE most dreadful job trying to get a good picture!

The frame was cut from a piece smooshed with Iced Spruce Distress Ink.

The leaf die had a slight sponging of Bundled Sage across it and it toned well with the frame altho it doesn't show up that good in this pic!

Just added a simple stamped sentiment.

A quick CAS card and I think I might try a few more in different muted shades as I like the simplicity of it and think it could be used for lots of things with different sentiments.

Sharing over at
The Flower Challenge #82 - CAS
Sweet Stampin' - Flowers
SCS - CAS
ATS+M - Die cuts

We have had some very heavy showers the last few days and the garden is grateful! So am I - cos it meant I didn't have to water the pots!

Have a great weekend whatever you're doing. x

Totally Tropical - 3 Colours at Try It On Tuesday

Our new challenge gets underway at Try It On Tuesday today -  and it is to use 3 colours.
I chose Green, Yellow and Orange for my card.

It's not too often I make a tall slimline card.
Started with a stencil monoprint - oh I do love doing these!

Smooshing ink on a stencil, spraying with water and pressing down onto card - there's something very satisfying about seeing how the print turns out and no two are ever the same!

Mowed Lawn and Fossilized Amber on a tropical leaf stencil from Honey Doo.

I die cut some foliage and a flower and watercoloured in the same shades on some snippets of watercolour card, the flower centre was coloured with Spiced Marigold DI.

A scrap of lime card white heat embossed with the sentiment and job done!

Thought this make was quite apt at the mo as we've been experiencing some really summery days recently - although we've had a few thunderstorms and torrential downpours too!

Thanks for stopping by - hope you will pop over to the TIOT blog and see what the rest of the DT have to inspire you and - of course- hope you will join us this fortnight.

Happy Crafting. x

Birds/Feathers at Try It On Tuesday

The weeks are simply flying by (no pun intended) and it's a new challenge over at Try It On Tuesday - the theme is Birds and or Feathers!

Some time ago I saw a painting depicting a bird who had escaped from it's cage and I wanted to try and make a card along the same theme.

We have so many lovely birds singing in the garden and they always sound so happy (they make me feel happy too) so my make this time is a combination of bird song and freedom which to me means - - Happiness!

This little bundle of feathers is out in the tree celebrating the fact that someone has left his cage door open and he is free.

Ink blended background of Picked Raspberry, Spun Sugar and Antique Linen.

I used Black Soot along the bottom and stamped the grass using Card-io stamps from the Textures set.

My birdcage is an old die - has a branch attached to it so I cut it off!

Bird and the tree branch is also Card-io.

Thanks for looking today! x

May Card Chain Challenge Reveal

I sent my card this month to Greta in Oregon and received a lovely card from Kath who is based here in the UK!
The colour option for May's Card Chain Challenge seemed simple at first -

until I tried to bring something together and confess I found it quite difficult! I think I simply tried to overthink it! Anyway I soldiered on and also managed to use one of the product options of embossing powder and the 'ripped edges' technique option so that was a bonus!

I have a sneaking suspicion that this embossing folder I used on the background was a freebie in a mag (- but I may be wrong!) but as I had already decided to try and produce something with an Asian theme I used the folder!

The dies are all from a Sizzix set. The flowers/branches in the set are really fiddly but I like using them.

I watercoloured the flower stems using dark blue and a near as I could get it turquoise.

The base was tripled heat embossed with gold embossing powder.

I remembered I had a piece of pale blue vellum so tore a little piece  and used it to hang from the scroll after heat embossing the chinese script and word.
Finished with a heat embossed on vellum butterfly.

You have a few days to sign up for the next challenge - get over to the blog and add your name!
Thanks for looking today. x

Reminder post - Try It On Tuesday - Use a Stencil

Mid way through our USE A STENCIL challenge at Try It On Tuesday.

Having made a card using my circles/bubbles die the waste was lying on the desk so I used it to make this!

Blending Cracked Pistachio, Mermaid Lagoon and Peacock Feathers over the waste and overlapping to make sure it filled the entire side of the card.

Added a white heat embossed sentiment on a scrap of black card and a couple of teeny sequins.

Was really quick to do and is now in the 'man' stash box! (yes even with the sequins on it!)

Just a week left for you to come and join our challenge - hope to see you there! x

Little bits!

Made this from tiny bits of watercolour card that I had left over from a bigger project (which I can't share at the mo!)
I was about to sweep them all into the bin as they were really small scraps but remembered these dies which are quite small.

I masked off my white base card and lightly sponged on some distress ink
Die cut as many bits as I could starting with the vases as obviously they were the biggest and just coloured them all in pastel shades.
It was a bit fiddly assembling the flowers/leaves into the vases cos they were so tiny!

It's been a little while since I have been in the Playground and I feel rather naughty as one of my makes was chosen as a Top Pick a couple of weeks ago - I just don't seem to have found any time recently to simply sit down and have a play for myself.
So am taking my vases into the Playground today for Miss Di and Sarnie to show that I am sorry for being such a bad snippeter!

We are busy doing some prep work in the garden when the weather is dry - we have a major drainage problem as all the water from the driveway and small road at the back simply runs into the garden - coupled with some ridiculously heavy clay soil it really has been like a river running into a lake this winter - so work is starting middle of next month and we're in the process of trying to rescue as many of the plants I put in last summer, transferring them into pots before the driveway and the garden is dug up by the landscaper to install some proper drainage.
Am also sharing my make over at
Krafty Chicks - CAS
Paper Players - CAS/Spring
613 Avenue Create- CAS
Tic/Tac/Toe - I chose the middle row down - Pastel Colors, Flowers, Spring Theme

Thanks for finding the time to stop by. I hope all is well in your part of blogland. x