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

New Challenge - Try It On Tuesday

The next two weeks we have the challenge theme of 'Going Round in Circles' at Try It On Tuesday.
Please pop over to the challenge blog and see what the rest of the DT have done this time!

I just had a bit of fun with a spotty stencil and some pretty Distress Oxide colours.

From the top - Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, Blueprint Sketch, Picked Raspberry and Fossilized Amber.

Die cut a few different sized circles and simply stamped some sea/beach themed images in the same colours.

Used a little Wink of Stella in the same shades on the stamped circles so it has a teeny shimmer in real life.

Thanks for looking today and hope you can join us for this challenge - we welcome all types of crafting not just cards as long as it fits with the challenge theme!
Sharing at
Stencil Fun - A/Goes
Daisy Chain - Dots/or Stripes
HLS Stencils - A/Goes

Fantasy at Try It On Tuesday

 Our new challenge starts today at Try It On Tuesday and the challenge prompt this time is 'FANTASY'.
The challenge runs for 2 weeks and am really looking forward to seeing all things mystical and magical over on the challenge blog.

I am a Lavinia fan so obviously I turned to the Lavinia stamp drawer (which still has some space in it - just in case Father Christmas is reading this🎅)

My8" x 6" art piece has been placed in a piece of mountboard ready to be framed.

The Oracle is weary.
But her long journey across the magic lands are nearly over.
She has arrived at the edge of the enchanted forest and can see her home in the far away Dreamweaver Castle.
There is just the water to cross to come to her journey's end and she will resume her seat on the three legged stool and communicate the prophecies visited upon her.
Her time to rest is almost here.

All stamps are Lavinia apart from the tree line across the water which is Inkylicious and the rocks which are Card-io.

I used a variety of coloured inks for the stamping and blending. Versafine Clair, Elements and Versacolour.

I hope I have inspired you to make something magical to share with us this challenge! x
Sharing too over at
Fairy and Unicorn Challenge - Fantasy

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

Let's Go Outside at Try It On Tuesday

Our latest challenge at Try It On Tuesday is called 'Let's Go Outside'.

Lots of interpretations for this one and look forward to seeing what the challenge prompt means to you!

I love the Sea.
I live in a pretty rural area but we're literally 10 minutes away from the coast so I have the best of both worlds.

Here's my make. The two girls are a stamp from Crafty Individuals and the boat is from Card-io.

I had it in my head that these two girls (sisters/friends) were just seeking solace at the water's edge, dreaming of escaping to some magical place aboard the boat!
(I know - fanciful imagination I have!)

I also got to try out one of the waves stamps from Inkylicious (which I bought and then forgot I had them!)

Just lots of ink blending and heat embossing and I fussy cut the girls to make them stand out a bit more.

This was one of those makes that I was (and still am ) undecided about as I think I maybe got the perspective askew - maybe the sea should have been less and the beach and sky more??? Just call me undecided!
Hey ho, it's done now!

Hope you can find time to join us for this challenge - we welcome all types of crafting, not just cards!
And please pop over to the challenge blog and have a look at the rest of the DT's makes - we love visitors!
Happy Crafting! x

TIOT - Mid Way reminder!

We're halfway through this fortnight's challenge at Try It On Tuesday where our theme is 'Sing A Song'
After being unable to get the last song out of my head (see post below) for a few days, I now have another one which is becoming equally as annoying! (particularly as I can only remember about two lines!)

Anyway here's my share based on the song by The Waterboys called 'Whole of the Moon'.

On seeing a Lavinia tutorial (thanks Jo) using Brilliance Inks direct to black card it surprised me just how effective the end result was so I had a go myself.
Out came the foliage stamps and the Brilliance inks - I used Cosmic Copper, Galaxy Gold and Platinum Planet for the foliage and Moonlight White (what else?!!) for the moon.

A little sponging with the white once the stamping was dry at the bottom and dragged across the top half to make a few cloudy bits and then a little spattering with a Posca pen.

I then ran the copper ink round the edge to finish it off.

The inks really do have a lovely shimmer  which the photo doesn't capture very well - it's subtle and not in your face like glitter and I rather like it!

Hope you like it too and maybe if you've not thought about joining us this time round you'll change your mind and link up to the challenge blog!
Thanks for looking and have a great day whatever you're doing! x

Sing A Song at TIOT

New challenge day at Try It On Tuesday - and the theme this time is 'Sing a Song' - so find a song you like and make something reflecting your tune!

OR -
you can do what I did and do something really random!
Whilst looking for another stamp set I saw this Cardio set called 'High Flyers' - It triggered off a song in my head and I showed my age by singing the chorus of it (and it's been driving me nuts ever since!)

The song is - of course-  'Lets Go Fly A Kite' from Mary Poppins.
I had a red kite when I was a child and my Uncle took me to the local sand dunes to fly it - a lovely childhood memory!

I made my little scene using all Cardio stamps from a few sets - Beach Trail, Beside the Sea and Flipping Out (don't you just LOVE Flip-flops!) as well as the High Flyers set.

I did some gentle ink blending using chalk inks which give a much softer effect than Distress ones to create my sandy beach and sea and (although it doesn't show very well in the pic) the sky - which is a very pale blue with a watery sun - cos not all days on the beach are hot and sunny!

I added some white posca pen to highlight the little ripples as the sea reached the shore and underneath the pier.
I hope the little boy enjoyed flying his kite as much as I used to do! 
Thanks for visiting me today - please have a look on the challenge blog and see what the rest of the team have come up with - and hopefully you'll join our challenge this time round!

Guest Designer - Fairy and Unicorn Challenge Blog

 I was delighted to have been selected as the winner for a recent challenge over at the Fairy and Unicorn Challenge Blog - (winning card is here if you've not seen it!) and was invited to be their Guest Designer for this month.

I have a bit of an Ocean thing going on at the mo and fortunately the challenge blogs'  challenges are always 'Anything Fantasy Goes'  so whilst I had all the necessary colours out on the desk (from my previous card!) I used them!

It's called       
'There's More Than One of ME??'
as Zelith and her fishy friends discover she is not the only Mermaid in the ocean and now she has someone else to swim with - if she can catch her up!

I intend to frame this eventually hence it has been left blank of any greeting. I may (or may not) add something (perhaps a small seahorse or jelly fish) to the top right before framing it!

Lots of inky blending and spattering and stamping (as my blue and green fingers will testify to!).

I used Versamagic Ocean Depth, Versafine Clair Verdant and Warm Breeze for all the sea foliage, bubbles, tiny fish etc and Nocturne for the main images.

I coloured Zelith with Oxides Twisted Citron and Salty Ocean then liberally applied Blue and Green Wink of Stella pens.
The tail of her new found friend was coloured in Picked Raspberry and Cracked Pistachio and I used Candyfloss Stickles and green Wink of Stella.

No self respecting mermaid can be seen without lots of sparkle and shimmer can they so liberal helpings of both. I was really pleased with how this turned out - but - as with all things blingy it was a bit of an effort to get a decent pic!
All stamps are of course Lavinia.

Thanks to Fairy and Unicorn for inviting me and thanks to you for looking!

July Card Chain Challenge Reveal

I sent my card to my lovely blogging friend Hilary this month and received one from Marianne in Greece!.
When I saw the sign up post at Card Chain Challenge I knew straight away that this month I wouldn't be following the colour option like normal - one of the themes tied right in with a NBUS purchase.
Some time back I bought several 'sea/ocean' themed stamps from Lavinia - and have been slowly adding to the collection so the 'Fishes' theme was perfect for me to use 'Flo' (she's the big fish! I already had the smaller one)

Flo and her smaller versions were stamped with Versafine Clair Monarch ink, as were the Sea Urchins.
I masked them off and then built up the background with Distress Oxides Mermaid Lagoon, Bundled Sage, Salty Ocean and spattered with water. I love the way Oxides react with water!

Lots of foliage stamping followed, using more stamps from the Lavinia collection in Versafine Clair Shady Lane, Verdant and Monarch and once dry I removed the masks and water coloured the Sea Urchins.

Stamping was finished with the bubbles in Versacolour Turquoise and the sentiment in Monarch.
Flo and entourage were given a liberal helping of yellow Wink of Stella, and I used clear Wink of Stella on the Urchins too so it does have a bit of a shimmery look in real life!

There's still time to sign up if you fancy joining in!
Sharing over at
NBUS #53
Use Your Stuff - 3 Item Cluster (my 3 fish!)
ATS+M - Make your Mark

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