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!

Blooms

 Perfect weather for the craft room - monsoon type conditions and heavy grey skies! A stark contrast to Europe who are in the grips of the most horrendous heat!

I have been playing about with black card recently - here is one I did a couple of days ago using an Altenew stamp set.

It was quite quick to do really - I spent more time messing about wondering how to place it on a UK card size than actually stamping and colouring!

Being a US company the frame is designed to fit on an A2 (?? I think??) card - a size that I have never used and is not one that you see a lot of here in the UK.

Stamped and heat embossed in gold then used metallic watercolours. I am loving these watercolours - the card has an incredible shimmer.
The sentiment is also part of the same set.

Once dry, I mounted it onto a piece of gold mirri card and ended up (after much debate) simply putting it centrally onto another piece of black card. It didn't look right on a white base, didn't fit properly on a 6 x 4, nor on a 5 x 5, looked daft on a 6 x 6 and at one point I was beginning to be sorry I had started in the first place!
Anyway to steal one of my Mum's sayings - "It'll do for now"!!!

Sharing over at
Beautiful Blossoms - A/Goes w/flowers
Creative Crafters - A/Goes
Crafty Addicts - A/Goes

Thanks for looking today - wherever you are in the world I hope you are safe and well. x

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

June Card Chain Challenge Reveal

My make for the June Card Chain Challenge went to Patricia in Texas and I received a lovely card from Gundi in Germany too - so thanks again! x

Once again I opted for the colour challenge and managed to add in the product option of Lace.

Using cream base card instead of the usual white I stamped the lavender image (Technique Tuesday) and coloured the flower heads with Picked Raspberry Oxide.

The background stencil is one of my most go to stencils and as I've now lost the packaging I've no idea which make!

Stencil ink blending was a combo of Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry.

Added a piece of cream lace and some pink/cream twine then popped the floral spray onto a mat of Picked Raspberry inked card before putting it onto the main card.

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

Thanks for looking today - hope all is well in your part of blogland! x

Summer Blooms at Try It On Tuesday

Summer has indeed been blooming in my part of the world! We've had hot sunny days and what seemed to be even hotter nights!
TIOT's challenge this fortnight is entitled Summer Blooms. As always you can interpret any way you want in any medium as long as it follows the challenge theme.

There is a field  at the back of our house which has evolved into a wildflower meadow so my make this time has reflected that although the colours are not true to life I just wanted to encompass all the colours I can see!

These are several very old stamps that I own and this was a very quick card to do.

I used my Arteza waterbrush pens coloured the stamps, spritzed with water and stamped onto watercolour card.

Spritzing is one of my fave techniques as it gives such a soft dreamy effect! (My other half would say that describes me........😜

Finished it by matting onto a black background and heat embossing a sentiment in white.

Hope you can pop over to the blog and see what everyone else has served up this month and join us as we celebrate a flowery summer!

Thanks for looking . 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

Fiery Friend

 We have been blessed with some glorious weather recently so a lot of time has been spent outdoors - either in the garden pottering about and soaking up the sunshine or out armed with binoculars (husband with camera) looking at birds and nature in general. A few days away whilst the weather was so good adds up to a pretty perfect time at the mo!

BUT - I had to have an inky fix in between and here it is

I have been mulling over the idea for this for a while - sometimes I don't trust myself to try out an idea in case it looks rubbish - but I was pretty happy with this one!
A friendly dragon flying in to see his dragon keeper.
A clearing in a wood and a fiery sky whilst they say hello to each other.

Stamps of course by Lavinia and Distress Oxides for background.

I have had Zemira for a little while but this is the first time she (and the dragon) have seen ink!

I used a couple of different colours of Memento Inks for our fiery dragon (thanks to my Misti!) and put some Wink of Stella on Zemira which doesn't show up very well in the photo.

Currently trying to decide if I second/third generation stamp the Lavinia Dragon Verse on the right... been thinking about it for several days .... and still thinking! Instead there may be a few more tree trunks added on the right rather than the verse.... still thinking!!!

Sharing over at
Little Red Wagon - Things that Fly
I Spy - Something with Wings
Fairy and Unicorn - Anything Fantasy
Sweet Stampin' - Things with Wings
NBUS #51

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

Damn Men!

This fortnight's challenge at Try It On Tuesday is MAKE IT MASCULINE.

Man cards...I struggle so much with them! I try to come up with something different and original but in the end always revert back to the easy option - which is usually something rusty looking in the shape of cogs or clocks!

So here is the inevitable 'cog card for a damn man'!

Some time back I was gifted by a fellow blogger a couple of pieces of Tim Holtz shimmer card which is specifically for use with alcohol inks. This was the first piece I used and I must confess the shimmer is fantastic (which is probably why the pic is so bad!)

Once I'd covered the shimmer card with alco ink I took a cog stencil and inked over it to give a bit of depth to the background.

I used gilding wax to colour the die cut cogs.
Hope you can find time to make a man themed project this time round - and if you're seeking inspiration the rest of the DT and our Guest Designer have some for you over on the challenge blog!
Thanks for looking. x

Is this happening to anyone else? EDITED - THANKS TO GUNDI!

 The annoying mystery has been solved. A big thank you to Gundi (Paperielle) for her answer and it all becomes clear now - it's not my posts at all which violate anything - it's the links in my blog post!
Here's Gundi's reply for anyone else who has (or may have in the future) received messages from Blogger (and it is more likely if you have been blogging for a long time)
Hi Viv,
I got emails like this from Blogger too. Then my son helped me. He said there are links in my posts to sites that no longer exist. I checked and it really was. But I didn't feel like deleting all those links, so I deleted all the posts in question. They were all posts that I had written 8 to 10 years ago, so deleting them didn't hurt that much. I hope I could help you. Gundi

Over the last couple of days I have received e mails from Blogger saying
"This post was unpublished because it violates Blogger Community Guidelines. To republish, please update the content to adhere to guidelines"
Today at the top of my Posts Page the same thing - yet it doesn't say which post!
Having read the Community Guidelines I am a little at a loss to see what violation has been done anyway as my blog has been in existence since 2008 and the only thing I have shared on it has been my art work!
I am not very impressed that these things are just deleted without any prior warning - particularly as at the moment the posts are really old ones dating back since 2010.
Is this happening to anyone else?
How do I stop it?

Keep It Simple at Try It On Tuesday

For the next two weeks our challenge theme at Try It On Tuesday is 'Keep It Simple'.
So a CAS card from me!

I smooshed a bit of watercolour card across some watery Mowed Lawn DI. One of my better results I thought!

Cut out with a stitched die and stamped some bamboo at one side. The bamboo stamp is years old and I think it's from Choc Baroque.

Added a thin stitched die frame on top as an experiment - didn't glue it at first!

I love Ginko leaves so when Inkylicious brought this set out I had to have it.  Stamped and fussy cut and then arranged them inside and outside the thin frame before glueing it all in place.

I was going to add another ginko on the top right but remembered I had a chinese writing stamp and a little bit of the smooshed piece left so used it up.

Finished it all off with a couple of little citrus green dots, using a bigger one to hide the overlap of the offcut bits!
For this make I used linen textured cardstock to give the background some interest.

Please go visit the challenge blog and see what the rest of the team have come up with this time!
Hope you can join us too and 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

Try it on Tuesday - Use a Stencil

Onto our next challenge at Try It On Tuesday!
(As promised here is the second post from me today - If you are here from the Card Chain Challenge April Reveal link post please just scroll down to the previous post!)
This time at TIOT we want you to 'Use A Stencil' - that's it - plain and simple use a stencil in anyway you want!

I did a simple technique called 'Double Stenciling' for this card.

My background stencil was inked with Antique Linen.

To my shame this Sweet Poppy (along with a couple of others)bought some time ago has never been used. 😞
I don't know why cos I really like it!

Leaving my background stencil in place, I put the poppy field stencil on top and blended the flower heads Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade and Fossilized Amber.

I then removed the background stencil and put the poppy one on top lining it back up, then used the same colours over the top.

This gives a shaded effect where the stencils all overlap and you can see the background stencil on the flower heads. Quite like it!

A little bit of Bundled Sage for the stems and a triple die cut sentiment to finish .

Please have a look at the DT makes over on the blog - lots of lovely ideas and am looking forward to seeing your stencil makes too! x
Sharing over at
Crafting Happiness - Flowers
Make My Monday - Flowers
Stencil Fun - Flowers
NBUS - My stencil!

April Card Chain Challenge Reveal!

This is reveal day for our April Card Chain Challenge and as it's also launch date for our new challenge at Try It On Tuesday this is the first of 2 posts from me today!

This month I am feeling very pleased with myself as I had a go at replicating the sketch AND the colour combo (- very daring for me as I actually find following sketches quite difficult) and also used the Friendship theme. Not often I manage to do more than one thing!

I love this Altenew Wallpaper Art stamp set even though the flowers are quite big but they are beautiful.

I don't though have the matching dies so this involved an awful lot of fussy cutting.

The colour combo was charcoal, lime and bumblebee so I used Altenew Pure Graphite ink on the flower and the big leaves the coloured with Nuvo Watercolour 'Willow Green' which is the nearest I could match to.

Bumblebee proved a little bit trickier as I tried a couple of yellows for the flower centre and they all looked wishy washy and almost the same as the lime! In the end I went for a Promarker (Canary) and brushed over a teeny bit of yellow Wink of Stella - doesn't show up very well in the pic either!

Stamped the sentiment and decided instead of 'drops' to do a bit of spattering... got a teeny bit carried away I think!

My card flew off to to Gail in Norway and this month a big thank you to my friend Hilary who sent me a beautiful card and some gorgeous foiling!
There's still time to join in the May challenge - pop over to the blog and sign up!
Thanks for looking today - hope you'll check out my DT post for TIOT as well and maybe link up there too! x
Sharing my flower over at
MMM - Flowers
Crafting Happiness - Flowers

Try It On Tuesday - Reminder post!

 The start of the second week of our Rainbow Colours challenge at Try It On Tuesday and I've gone for something a little less 'full on' than my launch make!
(Here if you didn't see it and haven't a clue what I'm going on about!)

This time instead of vibrant colours I have gone for more pastel shades of the rainbow.

The leaf sprays are Altenew stamps, and I stamped and clear embossed.

I used Distress Oxides to watercolour

The sentiment stamp was a gift and I thought it was perfect for the pretty colours which although are muted are still a kaleidoscope of shades.

If you've not yet linked up to this fortnight's challenge, you still have time! x

Am sharing at
Colourful Options - Pastel
Sweet Stampin - CAS
Krafty Chicks - CAS

Try It On Tuesday - Rainbow Colours

Our new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is 'Rainbow Colours'

This was a bit of fun to do!

I used an air blower to splat out the paint -I thought these would be easy to use but I actually found it quite tricky.
It's definitely one to practice as the paint does splatter everywhere.

After a couple of failed attempts I managed to produce something I was happy with!

Been told that this technique is better/easier with Distress Re-inkers but I didn't have the colours I wanted so improvised by simply using watercolours.

Using watercolour paints I think some of the shades turned out not as vibrant as they should have been!

The sentiment is from Bee Crafty.

Hope to see your rainbow creation in our Linky this fortnight and please go visit the rest of the DT and our wonderful Guest Designer! x

Hold On!

Been having a bit of inkiness the last couple of days whilst the weather has been so changeable. I've made a couple of cards and this one I am undecided as to whether it is finished or not!

It was though an absolute horror to photograph - I must have taken about 50 pics and wasn't happy with any of them.
None of the photos showed a true representation of the colours which are slightly muted nor any of the (liberal helping) of Wink of Stella.

Anyway here it is -
I started blending my background with Antique Linen then worked out using Stormy Sky, Weathered Wood and Hickory Smoke.

I masked off the trailing vines that Rue clings to on the stamp - this was a bit fiddly but happy with the way the image turned out.

I then white heat embossed several Dandelions and finally added some Spanish Moss Foliage in between the dandies, positioning them all from Rue's hand so she really is 'Hitchin' a Ride'!

I used lots of  clear Wink of Stella onto the dandies and dotted some about randomly before I coloured Rues wings with different colours.

Added some white spatters.

Am undecided as to how to complete it - jury is out between a sentiment or a Lavinia script stamp (second or third generation stamping) added down the side.
Shall put it to one side whilst I think about it!

Sharing Rue and her Dandy Flight over at
The Paper Shelter - Anything that Flies
Paper Funday - A/Goes with option of Flower Power (Rue is definitely powered by Flowers!)
Creative Inspiration - A/Goes

Thanks for stopping by today - hope all is well in your part of blogland. x

Try It On Tuesday - Hello Spring!

 Our challenge at Try It On Tuesday for the next 2 weeks is 'HELLO SPRING'.
Here's my make -

Stencil monoprinting is a fave technique of mine and I like that you never get two prints that look the same using the same stencil.
It's easy to do as well so another bonus!

For my background I took a wavy dots stencil, Fossilized Amber and Spiced Marmalade Oxides.
I rubbed the Oxides across the stencil (more Amber than Marmalade) and spritzed it with water.

Put the stencil on top of my cardstock and pressed lightly using a paper towel - this has the added bonus of mopping up any seepage through the stencil!

My flower was a present and didn't have any packaging so don't know make.

I stamped, clear embossed then fussy cut. I used the same 2 Oxides to give the flower a little colour and added a teeny bit of glittery schtuff to the flower centre.

Hope you will go over to the challenge blog and check out the rest of the DT's makes and also that you'll have a go and link up with us this time round! x
Am sharing over at
Stencil Fun - Pattern (my wavy dots stencil)
Crafters Cafe - Circles
613 Avenue Create - Stencils

March Card Chain Challenge

 My card for this month's Card Chain Challenge made a mammoth journey to Suze in New Zealand! Thankfully it arrived before the end of the month!

The colours given were a bit tricky for me but I continued with my quest of using the colours and trying to combine with one of the other technique elements.
Fortunately the colours don't have to be exact so I used a lighter few shades interpretation of each colour and the 'Stamps' product option.

The vase of bright sunflowers is by Technique Tuesday.
It comes with a matching die although I cut this by hand as there was too much white outline for my liking!
Coloured with watercolours.

The wavy edge background panel was done blending Distress Inks Spiced Marmalade and Dried Marigold with a light brushing of Peeled Paint. I then simply watercoloured a few lines to 'ground' the vase.

The sentiment is from SU.
I received a lovely card from blogging buddy Pia in Norway too - so thank you Pia! x

There's time for you to join in our challenge for next month if you want to - simply pop over to the blog and check out how it works!

Bunny!

 

I bought these tiny Bunny dies years - some time- ago and found them whilst looking for something else!
They're a set of 3 and really quite cute so have no idea why I never used them before.

Someone asked me for a simple Easter card for a child and "please could I have it by Tomorrow cos I don't trust the post" !!!!!!!

I thought the CAS option was best - and although I was tempted to mess about a bit longer with a proper inky scene the time limitations were always in my mind.
Hence one very quick clean and simple card needed so that it can be included with a small Easter present.

Stamped the Eggs and the grass (all Card-io) direct onto the card base and just added a die cut frame and the two bunnies (the third one in the set had hopped off somewhere!)

The Card-io Egg stamps were part of the Christmas present consignment from my wonderful husband and these also used for the first time

For some reason the sentiment looks crooked in the pic - it isn't!

There's still time to join in our 'Oh So Sweet' challenge at TRY IT ON TUESDAY where we're looking for anything cute or sweet related- the linky is full of cuteness!

I'm linking my little bunny make over at
NBUS #48
Sweet Stampin - Spring/Easter
Get Creative - Bunny
MTTC - Springtime

Try It On Tuesday - Oh So Sweet

 The latest Try it on Tuesday challenge is called 'Oh So Sweet'.
So your make can be anything you like as long as it has a theme which is sweet related - Cute, pretty, cakes - anything which is sugary!

I used to do a lot of 'cute' cards but it's something that I don't do often now - that said I quite enjoyed doing this one which was simple and quick!

I took a honeycomb background stamp, inked and spritzed with water. This gave me a softer impression.

The bee stamps are all from MFT, coloured with Inktense watercolour pencils.
There was a matching set of dies but at the time I didn't get them so these are all fussy cut - the bees were little 'b's to cut out I can tell you!

Once I decided where they were going I stamped them directly onto the background so I could get their antennae and little stingy bit without having to worry about how I was going to cut them out - they looked real peculiar on the desk with just their round bodies and faces!

Once I'd stuck them down I gave their wings a little glittery dust and finished off with some tiny black paint splatters.

The sentiment is from the same set.

Look forward to seeing what you make this time round! 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

More Green!

We're just over mid way through at the 'Go Green' challenge at Try it on Tuesday and my DT card is the post below this but here's another green themed card and this time it has a pop of colour!

I've not added a sentiment as I don't know yet what I will use it for - so will stamp something once I know.

This was another inky make which I enjoyed doing.

Starting with a smooshed Mowed Lawn DI background on some watercolour card, I did some third generation stamping with an Indigo Blu script stamp which I have had for a long long time in Versafine Clair Verdant.

The foliage stamps all from stash (again old ones!)

The flower is a from a Penny Black set inked with Versafine Clair Charming Pink.
.
I did some green ink blending round the edges before matting onto lime green card.

There's still time to join us at TIOT this fortnight!
Thanks for popping in to see me today - I hope all is well with you in blogland! x

Am also linking up to
Crafty Gals  #241- Make it Green
Sisterhood of Crafters - Use Green
Crafting Happiness - Lots of Green

Try It On Tuesday - Go Green

 Our challenge at Try It On Tuesday this fortnight is - GREEN. So you can either use the colour or recycle something to make your project!

I chose to simply use different shades of the colour as it's one that I quite neglect as a main colour on my cards.

I smooshed a background using Mowed Lawn and Shabby Shutters.

My stamp set is very very old! But it is one of those 'go to' sets when all else fails! As it's several different stamps and not one complete plate where the design was already done (I think both were available at one time) it took a little while positioning, stamping and gold embossing onto the background.

I used Nuvo watercolour pencils to colour the flowers in a shade called Deep Viridian (love this colour and this was the first time using it!) and the leaves were coloured in Malachite Green.

I used Versamagic Oasis Green chalk ink on a tiny piece of scrunched up dry baby wipe to add a little depth to the bottom before sticking it all onto the dark green base card.

Thanks for looking today. Please pop over to the TIOT blog and have a peep at the makes from the rest of the DT - and I hope to see YOUR make linked up too! x
Am sharing my make over at
Colourful Options - Green
Double D - Everything Coming Up Green
Beyond the Blue - Blooms

February Card Chain Challenge

February's  Card Chain Challenge card was sent to Jo in the UK
Having received a bumper bundle of Card-io stamps at Christmas from my other half I am enjoying using them!

I am waiting for warmer weather so it seemed apt to use some stamps that made me think of sunny days.

The colour option this month asked for Brick Red, Aqua and Sand which shouted all things beachy to me - so once again I bypassed the Technique/Sketch/Theme options!

I started by stamping the boat in Fired Brick Oxide then masked it off.

I experimented a little using VersaMagic chalk based ink and a small blending brush for the sea. As I normally use Oxides for ink blending I wasn't sure how it would look - but I was really happy with the result. The 'Sea Breeze' ink colour blended beautifully and gave a soft effect which was a change from the depth of colour you get with Oxides etc.

I wanted the boat to remain the focal point so I used the Sea Breeze ink to  stamp the Pier rather than using a grey or black
I used another colour - 'Wheat' for my sand and some of the grasses.
The stones and shells were more of the VersaMagic inks Sahara Sand and Niagra Mist.

Took my blue and yellow blending brushes and just rubbed on the top for the sky using the excess ink on the brushes rather than inking them up again so the colours weren't overpowering.
I am really enjoying the Card Chain Challenge - the challenge themes give you lots of options to choose from and it's lovely receiving a surprise each month! This month I received a really pretty make from Tina in Slovenia!

More messy!

TIOT's  'Lets Get Messy' challenge is mid way through - I am normally a precise orderly person but I do like to make a mess occasionally!
Having said I like precision I often wonder why I am so drawn to acrylic pouring - it's anything but precise and of course it's messy! But I LOVE it! Here's a make.

This is a rescue piece. It was double the size when it started (see pics below).
I am (and always have been) madly impatient and waiting round for stuff to dry frustrates me no end.
There was a rather nice dark blue swirly pool on this piece and I touched it 👇 to see if it was dry.... it wasn't.😡

My smudgy fingerprints stood out in all their glory - (a crime scene investigator would have been delighted)- and nothing to be done except to chop it off - (the smudgy bit not my actual fingers...)
So this is the bit that didn't have the smudges on.
Added a die cut seahorse with a little bit of blingy greeny blue glittery stuff and some coral type foliage.

Finished it off with a bit of twine and some green liquid pearl dots.

Maybe next time I will remember not to stick my fingers into wet paint.....
.........but then again!

Still time for you to join us at TIOT this week! x

Excited!

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by the TIOT team to join them.
TIOT has been a challenge blog that I have tried to link up to as often as I could so I was super excited to have been asked!

So here's my first effort as part of the DT for this week's challenge which is 'Let's Get Messy'.

I can get messy when I have to - but getting messy and producing something which actually looks OK is a bit more difficult!

I love Alco Inks and simply don't use them enough so this was the perfect challenge to wipe the dust from them.

I stamped a large Hydrangea (For the Love of Stamps) onto vellum and heat embossed then carefully cut round it before popping it on the top of the inky panel, then  wrapped it up with a vellum strip (word from the same stamp set).

Please pop over to the challenge blog and check out what 'mess' the rest of the team have made 😊
and thanks for looking here today - hope you will join in our challenge too! x

Love-in month!

I don't do Valentines Day. Have never done Valentine's Day.
Well maybe I did - when I was a love sick teenager but it was that long ago I've forgotten!😳
I cannot for the life of me understand why we have to have a specific day to show/tell someone that we care about them? And I am currently sat down taking deep breaths having just seen on FB the price from a florist for 12 red roses 😱..................  

Anyway - February 14th is also the other half's birthday so we celebrate that instead! Not that we do much on the day itself - mainly because restaurants are full of the love sick teenagers as mentioned above or with people who feel that they absolutely have to show their love 💋💝for someone on ONE day a year!
Helloooooo there are 364 other days.......

I have though made a CAS card... I had a lot of odd bits lying on the desk and used them up instead of chucking them in the bin.
You'll have to forgive the terrible pic - we have the most glorious day here and I still cannot find anywhere to take a good photo!

Some left over hammered cardstock bits used for the circle, square frame, the twiggy bit and the word.
I triple layered the word.

The heart is another odd leftover bit - it's a not too shiny rose gold snippet which I found under the craft mat!.
Finished the twig by using some pale pink Liquid Pearls which when dried isn't too bad a match for my teeny heart.

It's been a long long time since I have linked up at the Playground as I have simply got into the habit of not keeping bits cos I was in danger of being buried under a paper mountain - but am paying a visit this week!

Unsurprisingly there are several love themed challenges around so I am sharing over at
MMM - Love is in the Air
TIOT - All you need is love (and a big bank balance if you're buying flowers)
SOS - Love is in the Air

Thanks for taking the time to look today - we have had some glorious spring like days this week - lifts your spirits to see blue skies - even if it is still cold!

January Card Chain Challenge

My card for the first Card Chain Challenge of 2023 went to Pia in Norway!
There were a few challenge options to choose from this time and I managed a couple - the colour option is always the one I go to first but this month I was also able to use the Product/Technique option of Distress Oxides and as Pia and I have been following each others blogs for some time now she is amongst my blogland 'friends' so I also could use one of the theme options too.

Here's my make. Over time I have made a few of these using the same basic design but in different colours. Blue shades, Orange shades  and Lilac shades to name just 3!
This is the first one using Pink!

A little moon mask started the background and I blended some Picked Raspberry round it first then moving downwards lightly, before swapping the colour for Saltwater Taffy to fade it down.

The darker of the floral branches were stamped with Altenew Razzleberry ink.

The second and third gen stamping was done using Versafine Clair Charming Pink. The stamp is from an Oriental Blossom set by Inkylicious.

I die cut the branch and birds and then gave the birds a quick blend with the remainder of the  Picked Raspberry left on the blender.
Added the little sentiment and then die cut the arched frame (Moonstone Dies) for the panel to sit behind.

It's not an exact replication of the colours on the challenge post but not far off!
I received a lovely card from Carol - and if you fancy joining in this month you have until 6th Feb to sign up - just go to the CCC blog!

Thanks for looking today - I hope everything is well in your part of blogland. x

Misty Magnus

 Brrrrrrr!!! Really cold here these last few days - and because of the ice underfoot I am feeling a bit stir crazy as I've been unable to go out for my walk - a few steps to open the shed door every morning is the most steps I have achieved.
I have a large camellia in a pot that is simply full of buds so it's living in there at the moment. The poor daffs and hyacinths that dared to poke their heads out must be wishing they hadn't bothered too!

Anyway being stuck indoors meant I had a look at what I could do - other than stare out at the beautiful bright blue skies - and found a Lavinia tutorial on social media.

This is what I managed to produce - it's not perfect but it's not too bad either. (Well, I don't think so anyway!) Although when I looked at others I began to think it was JUST passable!

Working with black cardstock was a bit of a challenge I admit (the tutorial made it look easy - don't they always! 😀) however I think I may try a few more as I quite like the dark and mysterious!

I need a lot more practice with white pen highlighting too.

I had some difficulty taking the pic which is really irritating 😠. Am not sure if it was just simply the light or the combination of the black card base with the blended oxides on top - although it is supposed to be very misty the photo made it look downright foggy!

It was good trying out another new technique and passed some time while I wait for the thaw - the idea of blending inks onto black is probably not new to most but if you've not tried it have a go!

I hope you're warm and dry in your part of blogland and thanks for looking today! x

Sharing at
MMM - Fave theme from 2022 - #189 Winter Card (Not Christmas)
A Place to Start - A/Goes

Blown Away

After a little trawl round Pinterest (spend more time on there than actually making!) I had a not particularly successful play with my Brushos and a stamp which is NBUS!

After the weather we have had in the last couple of days (with yet another grey wet and windy day here)and the dreadful storms and floods others are experiencing across the pond I thought this Katzelkraft stamp was very apt!

I am not very good with Brushos. I have now been practicing with them for what seems like EVER and never seem to improve. My bin is full of discarded soggy pieces of paper!
 
This share is one of the more passable attempts - so you can imagine what the discarded bits look like 🙈🙈 - but at least I tried! If only it looked as good as the one I originally saw and tried to emulate!

All that said I DO love this stamp as it just strikes a chord with me.
Whilst out of it's packaging I stamped a couple more images and will make CAS cards with them I think - cos the Brushos are back in the drawer until I feel like inflicting some form of torture on myself again!

This card is now in an envelope ready to be sent to a friend who is currently having all that is horrible about life thrown at her - Thanks for looking today - I hope you're warm, dry and safe wherever you are in blogland. x
Sharing over at
TIOT - In with the New
MMM - New
Sweet Stampin' - New

and of course visiting the NBUS challenge blog too!

December 2022 Card Chain Challenge

It's reveal day over at the Card Chain Challenge - and my goodness this month WAS a challenge!
There was this simply HUGE Tic Tac Toe board - 25 squares in all - I wonder if anyone managed to use them all?  Not me that's for sure, I had enough trouble selecting five! I chose the second column - and got my thinking cap on.

To be honest once I decided on which line to use, I managed to pull together a make which I sent to my partner Joanne this month and hope that she likes it!
So here's the challenge line I chose-

Slimline, Bird, Black, Deer and Stars

My background was done using (from the bottom up) -
Seedless Preserve, Victorian Velvet, Shaded Lilac and Chipped Sapphire. I lightly inked the moon blending outwards with Iced Spruce.

I am a relative newbie to this challenge but it's kind of given me something to aim at - and it has the added bonus that each month you receive a lovely hand made card from somewhere else in the world!

I received a lovely Christmas card from Kath in this month's chain- a beautiful row of tiny poinsettias- delicate and very pretty - thanks Kath! x
 
Thanks for looking today - December simply flew by - in fact 2022 flew too -
Happy New Year to everyone! x

Catching Hearts!

 My goodness it has been so cold this last week! I know many in other parts of the world experience arctic conditions much worse and for longer periods but here it is so unusual for it to be sub zero for so many consecutive days.

Thankfully this morning, although still cold it is a little warmer than it has been and the forecast is for it to get higher temps in the coming week - but we're to have rain!
So not sure which is the best, cold and ice with bright blue skies or warm and wet but grey overhead!

Whilst making this (another Pinterest inspired card) I thought how cold this poor fairy's bum must have been sat on the snowy floor.....  😨😄 (I resisted the temptation to outline it in white!)

There were a couple of things that perhaps I could have done better -
I was irritated that I didn't manage to align the hanging string when extending the dangling heart but don't think it looks too bad (if you don't inspect it closely!👀🙈)
and I don't think the 'grass' stamped at the bottom of the pine cone spray was the best idea but I will know for next time!

Despite several different stamps this really didn't take too long to do and overall I am contented with how it turned out.
I am now finished with making my Christmas cards! 

Sharing at
Jingle Belles - Wrapping up 2022
Country View Crafts - Christmas
Krafty Chicks - CAS

Snowy Landscape

There is no sign that the current freezing cold icy weather will disappear any time soon, so after a short trip out to collect an ordered present I holed myself up in the Happy Place where it is lovely and warm!

I have been having lots of inkyness just lately having visited Pinterest. I am in awe of the talent so many possess with their gorgeous scenes and I thank them for inspiring.

Here's another I did after a Pinterest trawl -
I love these Lavinia foxes. Am practicing very hard with the white highlighter on the fur - not quite there yet but improving each time.

The sky imitates what I looked out on today! It was quite misty fog earlier and only cleared mid afternoon. The grey sky was achieved by smooshing Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide and flicking some water across it. I masked off the bottom with some torn paper before smooshing.

Blended a little Fossilized Amber over the top for a watery sun and stamped a few branches after making a few snowy drifts.
As usual I had to splatter!

Another practice session completed and another card for my stash!
Thanks for looking. Hope you are warm and well in your part of blogland. x

Sharing at
Time Out - Winter
TIOT - Winter Wonderland
MMM - Winter card

November Card Chain Challenge

This month in the Card Chain Challenge I sent my card to Dee in Kenya!
I chose to do the colour option (well tried to anyway!) and used a stencil as the technique option.

The Lavinia stencil was inked using Versafine Clair Morning Mist ink - my substitute for Slate
I stamped the pinecone branch, tree and the berry wreath using Versafine Clair Pinecone - my substitute for Chocolate
I painted the berries with Carved Pumpkin Oxide and used the same to stamp the stars.
I finished with some orange glitter on the fir tree - well you've got to have a bit of bling haven't you!.

I know it's unlikely Dee will see snowy fir trees in Nairobi so thought I might send her some wintry greetings from here!

It was really nice receiving my card from Jeanne last month - happy mail!
I've signed up again for the December challenge - if you aren't in our chain of happy mail, pop over to the blog and sign up - you still have time!
Thanks for stopping by today - have a good day whatever you're doing. x