Merry Christmas To You!

Merry Christmas to all you fabulous people who visit, follow and/or comment on my humble little blog and to all your families too. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and have lots of fun! You are all absolute stars!

These are really easy CAS cards that used snippets from my patterned paper box.  The first two are pre printed papers and the second two are left over pieces of card I had inked myself.  I used a die that came free with a magazine to cut the star shapes.  The sentiment stamp is from a Hero Arts set then I added three clear sequins to each star for added bling using Ranger multi medium matt.  I used scalloped card bases for interest.  I made quite a few of these using different pieces of left over card and paper for the stars.  They were so quick and easy but I am very pleased how they turned out.

I would like to enter the following challenges:-

That's Crafty - Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes - its their last challenge - I wish I had joined in more its such a fab challenge that will be missed lots!

Pixie's Snippets Playgound - to use Snippets (mine are the stars - all from my bits box)

CASology - Merry

These are all wonderful blogs so please take a look.

Thank you so much for visiting me, I really appreciate it!  Once again, have an awesome Christmas! Take care. Christine xxx

Brusho Christmas

Hello!  Thank you so much for popping onto my blog - its lovely to see you!  Today is Christmas again!  I have used the gorgeous Baroque Christmas Tree from IndigoBlu on a Brusho background. Sorry you can see the edge of the box I use when I take my photos - I only just noticed it!  Silly me!

I added some white opal liquid pearls sprinkled with glitter for the baubles on the tree, lots of clear sequins for added bling and the die cut word by Spellbinders.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

IndigoBlu - Winter Blues

That's Crafty - Seasons Greetings

Craft Barn - Tree

All these are fabulous blogs and are so worth a visit!

Thank you so much for visiting me - I love to know that you have been and really appreciate your wonderful comments!  If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you are on the way to being ready for the festivities!  Take care!  Christine xxx

A Vintage Journey Challenge - Baby You're A Firework!

I haven't entered a challenge at A Vintage Journey before although I have been a follower of the blog for ages!  This particular challenge has to be in the style, of or inspired by, Tim Holtz.  I am a bit close to the wire as it ends very shortly but when I saw that it was 'fireworks', I remembered an awesome stamp that I have by Inpression Obsession - Cover A Card, Fireworks, so just had to join in!  I was influenced by Mr T. by his use of Distress Inks to create my background. I am not sure if this is particularly vintage inspired so am not sure if it qualifies for this challenge but I had fun making it anyway!

I started by inking up the stamp with black Versafine and laying watercolour card on top of the stamp making sure to press over the whole of the card to get a good image.  I then embossed with clear powder (I had used an antistatic bag first).  The Distress Inks were then pressed on a white tile that I use as a pallet and spritzed with water and I also spritzed the card with water too.  I used a paint brush to drop the colours in the areas I chose then dried with my heat gun.  I then added Star Dust Stickles to the  centres of each firework and spread the Stickles outwards with my finger.  I cut two of the 'celebrate' from the Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets die set Celebrate.  Glued them together to make the word stand out more then adhered it to the piece.  I used a black card base which makes the colours pop.  In real life, the card is really bright and sparkly - I am really pleased with it and it can be used for all manner or occasions.  The Distress Inks used are Twisted Citron, Mermaid Lagoon, Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry and Mustard Seed.

Please pop over to A Vintage Journey - the inspiration over there is awesome!

Thank you so much for visiting me - I appreciate it very much indeed!  Take care. Christine xxx

Little Snowy Scene

I hope all my friends who celebrate Thanksgiving had a wonderful time!  We don't here in the uk but I know many of my blog friends do!

My Christmas card today is a little snowy scene.

I absolutely love this little snowy scene.  Its from a clear stamp set from HobbyArt called Woodland Glade.  The set is an absolute favourite of mine.  Its so useful as it has gorgeous trees, a fence, a steam and all sorts in it.  Just fabulous!  The stamping is done with Black Versafine and embossed with clear powder. I then cut it out with a Spellbinders label die along with a black one to mount it on. I used lots of 'dries white' glue sprinked with glitter for the snow - it is quite thick and really sparkles in real life and there is some on the roof of the little house too.  I inked round the top of the die to look like sky.  The sentiment is from Christmas Post clear set again from HobbyArt - another fabulous set, I coloured it with a Promarker and added a few stones for a bit of extra bling and it was done.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

HobbyArt - All Time Favourite (can be a stamp or set)  I love the versatility of this set.
RudolphDays Challenge - Anything goes as long as its Christmas.
That's Crafty - Black and white with a hint of colour.

It would be lovely if you could visit these blogs, they are all awesome!

Thank you so very much for visiting me, I am so grateful that you do!  Have a fabulous weekend. Christine xxx

Welcome Millie

In my last post here I included photos of my two Granddaughters Freya and Millie. Millie is the youngest and was born in September - here is the card I made to mark the occasion.

The image is so gorgeous and is by Lili of the Valley.  Its stamped with Versafine and embossed then coloured with distressed inks and I added lots of Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents to the balloon.  The background (sky) is also Distress Inks.  The letters are from two different sets of dies and they are cut from white card coloured with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink and the same ink was used to colour the mat and the base card.  Some shiny stones were added and two corners rounded with my corner chomper.

I would like to enter this into the Craft Barn Challenge which this time is 'something that could be a world record'.  We can interpret this any way we like so my interpretation is the 'world record' pride and excitement I have for Millie and Freya and their lovely Mum, Sarah and also the 'world record' cuteness of the girls!

Thank you so much for visiting me, I appreciate it so much and your comments are just so lovely to read!

Have a fabulous weekend and take care! Christine xxx

October Rudolph Days Challenge

Firstly I would just like to say Hello and Sorry!  I have been absent from Blogland for ages!  I have been staying with my daughter a lot this last month due to the birth of my second Granddaughter, Millie, in September, and in between times I have not been well.  I have been home since Tuesday but have spent most of the time in bed recovering.  Its worth it though, here is little Millie and Millie and Freya. Freya was two on Sunday and loves her little sister!
.

I am a very proud Grandma - and had to share!

Now on to my cards!  They are basically the same - just different colourways.  The fab Christmas Tree image was free with a magazine that I won from the the very generous Liz McGuire from Buttons For Brains.  Liz also popped some other fab crafty goodies in the package including the gorgeous ribbon I used - thank you so much Liz!

I embossed the images and sentiments using Versamark ink and white detail embossing powder on Kraft card.  The sentiment is by HobbyArt.  I also edged the pieces with Versamark and the white powder.  I then added pearls to the red one and gems to the green one then popped them onto matching Kraft card blanks.  I think I will make a batch of these as I love the stamp and the white on the Kraft card.  On the next ones I think I will try adding Stickles glitter glue instead of gems or pearls.

I would like to enter this into the October Rudolph Days Challenge which is anything goes as long as its Christmas!

Thank you so much for visiting - I am so sorry I haven't been to your blogs much again lately!  Hopefully I will manage to stay around in Blogland a bit more for a while - I miss visiting you all!  Take care and have a lovely weekend. Christine xxx

September Rudolph Days Challenge

This is a really quick post from me as I am not too well at the moment which is why I haven't been around much in Blogland lately - sorry!  Its two cards, very similar - different colours and sentiment.

The beautiful stamp is no. CI-369 by Crafty Individuals.  I have used it very simply by stamping and embossing on backgrounds I have in my offcuts box.  Both backgrounds are pieces I have made myself but are left over from other projects - I never throw anything away!  The sentiments are cut from black card using Spellbinders Holiday Sentiments then I went over them with two coats of clear Wink of Stella. I chose the sentiments I did as they were Christmas sentiments and girls names.  I have added gems, Frosted Lace Stickles (as its quite vintage looking), and Red Sharpie for the gorgeous lady's lipstick.  I edged both of the main images with a black Promarker.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

ScrappyMo's Rudolph Days Challenge - Anything Goes as long as its Christmas
Crafty Individuals - Anything Goes
Pixies Snippets Playground - Must use snippets - Mine are the little pieces of black card for the die cut sentiments and the leftover bits of backgrounds for the main images.
That's Crafty Challenge - Girls will be Girls

These are all awesome challenge blogs - well worth a visit!

Thank you so much for visiting me, I really appreciate it!  I am sorry I haven't been around to visit, comment or post recently.  Will try and catch up as I feel better.

Take care. Christine xxx

Snowflake Tag

Christmas again!

A large tag this time.  Its a heavy board tag - I picked up a set of three ages ago at a show for pence!  I started off by covering the whole thing with Gesso and let it dry then painted with Distress paint and again let it dry.  I simply applied Cosmic Shimmer White Texture Paste through a Tim Holtz stencil then sprinkled with Cosmic Shimmer glitter.  When dry I delved in a box of bits I had made for previous Christmas Cards over the years and found the die cut bauble and part of a snowflake both from glitter card which coordinated perfectly!  I added three punched snowflakes out of the same box to the bauble.  The Penny Black sentiment is stamped in Black Versafine and embossed in clear powder on a scrap of card.  I trimmed it to the shape I wanted then added some Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. The glitter wool is a snippet from a ball I bought from a charity shop years ago.  I added some blue stones to the small snowflakes and a large pearl to the part snowflake.  The whole thing sparkles wonderfully but it doesn't show so much in the photo.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Darnell's  - NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) - I have not used the stencil before.

The Craft Barn - Stencils/Masks

Pixies Snippets Playground - Use Snippets  - The card for the sentiment, the wool and the part snowflake are all snippets.

Stamploration Mixed Media Challenge - Anything but a card - must have used a stencil.

All these are awesome blogs - please hop over and have a look!  Join in with the challenges too!

Thank you so much for visiting me - I am so grateful that you did!  Take care.  Christine xxx

Christmas Post Box

Back to Christmas again with this one.

The stamp is a Dinkie stamp by Little Claire - I love the postbox with the little birds and the snow - such a perfect Christmas image!  I stamped it in black Versafine and embossed it with clear powder then coloured the image with watercolour paints. The die is by Spellbinders and I inked through with a little Distress Ink and added loads of glitter.  The corners of the red mat and the base card are all rounded with a Corner Chomper by We R Memory Keepers  Then finally I added little white dots with a white pen to look like snow.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Darnell's Blog - NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff)  - Anything goes as long as you include something that is NBUS - I have not used the stamp before.

Little Claire's Challenge - Christmas

Craft Barn - Stamping

Please pop over to these awesome blogs and have a look and see - you will be glad you did! Thank you so much for visiting me - I really appreciate it!  Take care. Christine xxx

A Really Rush Job!

As the title of this post says, this card was a really rush job!  I suddenly remembered that I hadn't entered the latest Clarity Challenge and I really wanted to so I literally threw this card together - I don't think it is really good enough but I want to join in so am posting it anyway!

I brayered ink  (Distess - Mermaid Lagoon, Evergreen Bough and Abandoned Coral) on my 3 x 5 Gelli plate without even smoothing it out on a mat first which is why the background is quite spotty - this is the second print - the first was way too dark.  Before I pulled the print I used the gorgeous Clarity Edelweiss stamp to pull off some of the ink.   Then I over stamped the print with Black Versafine and embossed with clear powder.  You can't really see where I pulled the ink behind unless you look closely but it is there.  I like the way it is the opposite way round.  I went round the edge with the Coral ink then added the sequins and then Glamour Dust glitter to the centre of the sequins and to the flowers.  I had previously coloured the flowers with ink and Spectrum Noir Pencils.  I just popped the piece on a black card blank to make it pop. I also just realised that the centre flower is floating!  I did ground it with some green pencil but I took the photo before I did that, silly me!  I really wish I had given myself more time to make a better card but at least I can enter.

The Clarity Stamp Challenge for this month is called 'Bingo'.  There is a grid with different options to choose going across, up or down - each square has a different technique in.  That is so badly explained - if you peek at the blog you will see what I mean! I went for flowers, stamp and glitter.

Thank you for visiting me, I really appreciate it!  Sorry this is so rushed and probably makes no sense at all!

Take care.  Christine xxx

August Rudoph Days

Another Christmas card today!  I do love getting festive early!

For this one I cut a square of watercolour card and added masking tape to the whole edge.  I popped Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks on a tile, spritzed with water then used a damp paintbrush to add the ink to the watercolour card.  I dried with a heat gun then used my fingers to add some droplets of water then dried with a piece of kitchen roll.  I added some shimmer by spraying generously with glimmer mist - this also moved the colours around a bit adding to the background effect.  Then I removed the masking tape - I always look forward to that bit, its fun to see the effect! The stamping is all done in Black Versafine embossed with clear detail powder. The stamps are all HobbyArt - the tree from Woodland Glade Scene It and the sentiment and stamp from Christmas Post.   I went around the edge with a fine black marker twice, overlapping the two wavy lines then filled the crossovers with glue using a glue pen then added Cosmic Shimmer Sea Blue Glitter.  My friend Sue gave me the glitter as part of my birthday present.  She gave me a box filled with all sorts of crafty goodies!  Thank you Sue if you are reading this!  I also added some Cosmic shimmer Diamond Sparkles to the main image.  I didn't add too much stamping to the background as I really liked how the inky, glimmery background looks.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

August Rudolph Days - Christmas - Anything Goes
HobbyArt - Blue
Sparkles Christmas Challenge - Ditch The Design Papers
The Craft Barn - Spray  (I used glimmer mist spray which I adore!)

These are all fab challenges and fab blogs!

Thank you so much for visiting me - I appreciate it lots and lots!  Take Care. Christine xxx

Pencils on Kraft Card

I've seen a lot of people using coloured pencils on Kraft card so I thought I would give it a go.  Its a bit out of my comfort zone as the result is quite muted which is different to what I usually do.  I was quite pleased with the effect though.

The image is from a Penny Black clear set called Belle Fleurs and I stamped it with Versamark and embossed it with white detail powder.  I used the same with the sentiment which is by HobbyArt. The image is coloured with Spectrum Noir Coloured Pencils then I added some clear Wink of Stella. The image is cut out with a circular Spellbinders die which I adhered to the base card and edged with faux stitching using a white gel pen.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Craft Barn Weekly Challenge - this time its to use some sort of  pens or pencils for colouring.
Penny Black and More Challenge - Summer Flowers

Both these blogs are definitely worth a visit!

I am off to my daughter Sarah's tonight for a few days - lots of cuddles with my gorgeous Granddaughter, Freya.  My son Michael will be visiting too!  I am so excited!

Thank you so much for visiting me, I really appreciate it!  Have a lovely weekend whatever you are doing!  Take care!  Christine xxx

Together Forever!

It's our anniversary today - Darren and I have been married for 11 years.  He is the best husband I could ever have wished for and I love him so much!  Here is the card I made for him.

I adore this cute little image which is by InkyDoodles and is called 'Love Birds'.  The background card is watercolour card which I sprayed with water then brushed on watered down Distress Inks.  I can't remember exactly which blues I used but I did add in some Seedless Preserves.  I had previously stamped and embossed the image and used masking fluid to mask off the birds, leaves, berries and perch.  I also used a toothbrush to spray some masking fluid over the background too.  I managed to spray my glasses with it too! Silly me!  When dry, I rubbed off the masking fluid and painted the image with Kuretaki Gansai Tambi watercolour paints.  The frame is Lovin' Diamonds die by Spellbinders and to make the little hearts, I used Flutter Love die set again by Spellbinders.  The sentiment is from Crafter' s Companion Moonbeam Meadow 'Hugs and Kisses' stamp set and I added Glossy Accents to the birds, leaves and berries and Wink of Stella to the hearts.  I added the Wink of Stella after I had taken the photo - sorry!

I was so pleased how this came out, I hope Darren doesn't mind a cute card!

I would like to enter this into the Craft Barn Weekly Challenge which this time is 'Diamonds.

Thank you so much for visiting me and have a lovely Sunday! Take care - Christine xxx

Clean and Simple Fairy Cards

I have gone 'clean and simple' for this one.  The stencil is the smallest of two Ginkgo leaves on the fabulous Clarity stencil - I love the shape - they are supposed to be green but I did mine in shades of purple.  Seedless Preserves and Shaded Lilac Distress Ink sponged through the stencil to be precise with Peeled Paint for the stem.  I sprayed some Glimmer Mist through the stencil too for a touch of shimmer. The fairy and sentiment are also both Clarity and are stamped in black Versafine.  I mounted the piece on shimmery card which just shows at the edges and the fairy dust is white opal Liquid Pearls sprinkled with Glamour Dust.  There was a lot of ink and Glimmer Mist left on the stencil that I didn't want to waste, so I took another piece of card and pressed it on the top of the stencil - painted in a couple of lines for definition and added two fairies and the sentiment.  I quite like how it turned out.

I mounted this one on darker purple card as it looked better than the shimmery card.

I would like to enter the following challenges;

Clarity Stamp  - Anything Goes
The Craft Barn - Clean and Simple (I won last weeks challege, Yay!  Thank you Craft Barn!)
That's Crafty - Stencils and Masks
CASology - Wings

These are all wonderful Challenge Blogs, well worth a visit!

Thank you for visiting me - I appreciate it so very much!
Take care - Christine xxx

Christmas!

Yay!  Another Christmas card for my stash and using the fabulous HobbyArt sentiment that I love!  I think the font on this is just awesome and makes a stunning focal point.  I stamped it with Versafine and embossed it with silver detail powder and coloured it with a blue Promarker.  I cut it out with a Spellbinders label die and inked through the die with Distress Ink.  The embossing in the background is done with a Cuttlebug folder then I added watered down Distress Ink, dried with my heat gun and added a bit more ink just to the raised areas. Then I drew on some dots with a silver Sharpie pen and added  little pearls for bling.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

HobbyArt - 'Words' - in my case - just one word!
Rudolph Days - Anything goes as long as its Christmas.

Please pop over to both of these blogs - they are fabulous!

Thank you so much for visiting me - your visits and comments mean so much!
Take care, Christine xxx

Beautiful Colours of Brushos!

Brushos are fabulous pots of powder pigment - I bought some a long time ago and have only used them a time or two so thought they needed to be played with again!  I have seen them used a lot on various blogs, on Youtube and demonstrated at the recent Newbury Papercraft Show.  I have made three cards with the same stamp but using different colours.  I haven't added sentiments or other embellishments as I couldn't decide at the moment what to add or even whether to just leave them as they are.

The stamp is by Woodware and the top and bottom ones are stamped with Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder and the middle one is stamped with Black Versafine and embossed with clear powder.   All I did then was sprinkle very small amounts of the different colours of Brushos in the areas I wanted them, then gently spritzed with water and watched the magic happen!  I dabbed areas with a piece of kitchen towel when I wanted the colour to be paler or changed.  I used watercolour card for this cause it works so well with the water.  I really like the effect - its loose and shows the beautiful colours.  I think I will be playing with these cool little pots of colour a lot more!

I would like to enter the following:

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge - Circle and Flower (s) - I hope its ok that I have done Circle (s) and Flower!

Hel's Sunday Stamper - Beautiful or Beauty - Hels Sunday Stamper this week is dedicated to
Lily Chilvers who recently died too young after a short battle with cancer.  Lily was the artist who gave us the little Octopode monsters and she was a beautiful lady.  I have not used her stamp designs myself but have really enjoyed seeing lots of awesome artwork using these fabulous quirky little monsters.  Here is a picture of Lily - you can see why Hels chose the word 'Beautiful'.

Please spare a moment to think of Lily's family and friends during this sad time, thank you.

Also, please hop over to the The Craft Barn and Hel's blogs - there are fabulous things to see on both!

Thank you for visiting me, I really appreciate it lots and lots!  Take care.  Christine xxx

Stamplorations 2nd Birthday!

Stamplorations is a fantastic blog and a fantastic online store and they are celebrating their second birthday and this is my card to join in the fun!  The sentiment on the front of this is 'Enjoy' so the card could be for any occasion and for either sex although I suddenly remembered a friends birthday which is tomorrow and used it for that.  The sentiment inside is 'your Birthday'.

The kingfisher is from Stamplorations set Small Birds and the word 'Enjoy' is from their Trendy Butterflies set.  The little shapes round the balloon are Winnie and Walter - Big Bang Confetti and the balloon is made using a Clearly Besotted Die.  All the colouring (masked strip, kingfisher and balloon are Distress inks with the words and outline of the Kingfisher with Colbolt Archival.  The Distress colours are Fired Brick, Mermaid Lagoon and Scattered Straw.  I added clear Wink of Stella and Glimmer Mist for a bit of sparkle.  The string is a little off cut I had floating about.

I would like to enter this into the Stamplorations 2nd Anniversary Linky Party - Below is the Mood Board we had for inspiration.  Stamplorations has had a blog hop this last week too which was awesome!

I would also like to enter this into the Stamplorations Anything Goes Challenge.

You must pop over to pay them a visit - the blog and store are both awesome!

Thank you so much for visiting me - I am trying hard to blog and craft a bit more regularly!  Take care.  Luv Chris xxx

June Rudolph Days Challenge

Goodness!  I haven't blogged for ages and now two on the same day!

Both backgrounds are Distress Inks with water and Glimmer Mist for some sparkle.  The Christmas trees are made with a die that came free with a magazine and the sentiment is a clear stamp by Inkydoodles. I added a pearl to the centre of each star.  These are very simple but I like how they turned out.

I would like to enter the following challenges:-

June Rudolph Days Challenge - Anything goes as long as its Christmas!
Craft Barn Weekly Challenge - Stars and/or stripes - My trees have stars on the top!

Please pop over to both of these Challenge Blogs - they are fabulous!

Thank you for visiting - I really look forward to your visits and comments!  Take care.  Christine xxx

Sparkly Gold Fish

I haven't been around for a while again - sorry!  I tried to think of a quirky title for this post but it is what it is - a 'sparkly gold fish'!

It looks a lot more sparkly and colourful in real life.  The background is Distress Inks and water and the fish is Dreamweaver Gold embossing paste through a Clarity stencil then sprinkled with gold glitter.  I added a black stone for the eye and some gold Card Candi to go with the gold mat which I added to a white card base.

I would like to enter this into the Clarity Stamp Challenge - which for June is 'Boys, Boys, Boys'. I made this card for my Father-in-law's Fathers Day card as I think its quite a masculine image even in gold sparkles!

Thank you so much for visiting me, I appreciate it so very much!  Take care.  Christine xxx

Farewell to Artful Times

Neet and Wendy from the fabulous Artful Times have decided to finish this wonderful challenge blog.  I will miss it so much but will keep up with Neet and Wendy through their own brilliant blogs. The last challenge is anything goes but with a party theme.  I have done a fairly clean and simple party card that I will be able to use for a birthday or congratulations card.

The white card has been cut near the bottom with one of the dies from My Favourite Things Stitched Basic E Borders. The little stars are from Winnie & Walter clear stamp set Sparkle and I used gold Encore ink.  The balloons were made using  Clearly Besotted clear stamp set Make a Wish and matching dies and were stamped with Hero Arts Shadow inks as was the sentiment which is Inkadinkado.  I added Glossy Accents and gold embroidery thread to the balloons to finish off.

I will really miss joining in with the Artful Times challenges - please pop over and say goodbye!  I was guest designer in February which was great fun!  Thank you so much Neet and Wendy for having me!  In fact, I was the only guest designer!  I hope I didn't contribute to the downfall!  That wouldn't be good!

Thank you so much for visiting me - I appreciate your visits and comments so much!  Have a lovely week.  Take care - Christine xxx

May Rudolph Days

Two more Christmas cards for my stash!

These are quite simple cards and I kept trying to add snowflakes and card candy etc. but decided I liked them better left as they are.  The Snowman and papers are from Lili of the Valley and the sentiment is from the Huge Snow set by Woodware.  I coloured the images with Promarkers and the die is from Spellbinders Pot Pourri set.  A bit of Cosmic Shimmer Diamond Sparkles and I was done.  I love the image, its so cute!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

May Rudolph Days - Anything Goes as long as its Christmas
Craft Barn - Holiday - to me 'holiday' always means Christmas cause I love it!  I have never really been a big holiday person when it comes to going away but the whole Christmas season feels like a holiday to me whatever we do (or don't do)!  I hope this qualifies ok as an entry!

Both these blogs are full of awesome stuff and definitely worth your time to take a look!  I haven't joined in with the Craft Barn for a very, very long time so I am glad I managed it at last!

Thank you for visiting me - I really appreciate it!  As usual, I have not been posting or visiting as much as I would like - with both my husband and I having health problems its not always easy so thank you so much for sticking with me!

Have a fabulous day and take care!  Christine xxx

Just one Layer in Hot Pink and Orange.

Thought I would go vibrant with this one and a fair bit of sparkle too!

It actually looks more vibrant and sparkly in real life!  The background is Picked Raspberry and Ripe Persimmon Distress Inks which I have pounced on to the background with my Distress tool in a kind of checker board pattern for something different.  I sprayed the whole background with water, let it sit for a few seconds then dried it with kitchen roll.  The stamping is all done with black Versafine ink.  All the stamps are by IndigoBlu and are from Nature 1 and Nature 2 except the dragonfly which came free with a magazine but is still IndigoBlu.  I added Gold stickles on the flower heads and Turquoise and Eucalyptus to the dragonfly.  There is a little Black Soot Distress Ink around the edge then I mounted the piece on a black card base to make it pop.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Artful Times - Hot Pink and Orange
IndigoBlu - Just One Layer

Please pop over to both of these fabulous blogs, you will be so glad you did!

Thank you for visiting me - I am so grateful to you and really value your comments and visits!  Have a lovely week - Take care - Christine xxx

My First Canvas

I have wanted to have a go at a canvas for ages and have finally done it!.  It wasn't until I had finished that I realised I had not included any stamping - I think that is a first for me!

I used a very cheap 7 x 7 canvas which was pre primed with gesso.  I then painted it with Waterfall, Lilac and Periwinkle Eco Green paints cause they match the gorgeous Lavinia Stamp image that came with a set from QVC a long time ago. The background is also dabbed with some Spun Sugar Distress Paint which is really subtle then I used the 7 x 7 Grunge Star mask by Splodgeway to add Diamond Sparkle Medium, which I coloured with the Waterfall paint, for a sparkling texture.  The frame for the image is made using Spellbinders labels One die, the large flowers using Cheery Lynn Die, Chrysanthemum Strip - I just used two layers for each flower, and the teeny tiny flowers are Impression Obsession Die 14 O-D (its a fab die that is just loads of these pretty little flowers.  I used metal corners, large metal flower and metal brads for the flower centers from my stash.  The white sparkly letters I have had for ages - I think they came with a Die Cuts With A View kit.  The metal corners and flower, the frame, all the die cut flowers and edges of the letters have had Patina, Amethyst (or both) Creative Expressions Gilding Wax added and everything has been sprayed with a coat of Crafters Companion spray varnish to give it a bit of protection.  The die cut flowers are all purple with patina gilding wax - they look quite dark in the photo but they are really pretty and the stars and image has lots of sparkle too!

I really enjoyed making it and it was nice to do something for myself!  Its hanging on the wall in my craft room.  Next time I will perhaps be more adventurous but I am pleased for my first one.

I would like to enter it into the Artful Times challenge which is 'A bit of Finnabair' (metal, flowers, lace).  My canvas has metal and flowers.  I think its more 'Chris' than 'Finnabair' but I tried!  Neet and Wendy have done wonderful canvases and I am sure all the other entries will be fabulous too!  Please pop over and have a peek.

Thank  you so much for visiting me - I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it!  Take care. Christine xxx

Silent Night

Its Rudolph days challenge over at ScrappyMo's again.  Its a fab way of getting started early on your Christmas cards!  I used a Stampendous stamp called Silent Night and made two cards - one monochrome and one with an inky background.

Both of these are quite clean and simple as you can see. The monochrome one is stamped using black Versafine and embossed with clear sparkle embossing powder.  The second one has a background using Seedless Preserves and Peacock Feathers with the stamping in black Archival. I then brayered a thin coat of Imagination Crafts Sparkle Medium over the whole panel for sparkle. The first one has a darker impression and more sparkle but I prefer the second cause I love the colours.  Both have the addition of layers and stones to finish them off.

If you can its worth popping over to Rudolph Days Challenge - if fabulous to see all the Christmas cards there and ScrappyMo's blog is just fabulous!

Thank you so much for visiting me - I really appreciate it! I hope your week is going well.  Take care. Christine xxx

Rainbow Tree

I have gone for a clean and simple card today.  I haven't used this stamp for a long time and I think its such a cool tree!  This time I have used rainbow colours as the theme.

The tree, grass and sentiment are all from a fabulous set by InkyDoodles - its in the sale too!  The stamping is done with black Versafine and embossed with clear powder.  I heated from behind so the tree was really smooth.  The little circles are coloured with Promarkers - I tried to make the colours look like a rainbow.  I then painted each circle with clear Wink of Stella and added Glossy Accents. Finally finishing off with five different colour sparkly stones to continue the rainbow theme.  I matted the stamped panel on a white card base to keep it simple.

I would like to enter the Time Out Challenge which this time is 'you can't make a rainbow without a little rain'.  You can take part or all of the phrase so I just took 'rainbow'.

Thank you so much for visiting me - I really look forward to your visits, comments and support! Take care and have a lovely day!  Christine xxx

Wee Folk Fairies

Hello and thank you so much for being here!  I am rushing again cause one of the challenges I want to enter ends in 35 minutes - goodness, I am getting worse at leaving things till the last minute!

I used my Gelli Plate for the background - I brayered on it randomly with distress inks then gently stamped some images with two colours of versafine (Leafy Swirls and one from English Garden Elements).  Its the first time I had tried this technique and I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled the print!  I stamped over it with the two Leafy Swirl stamps (large and small), the fairies and the Happy Birthday all with black Archival and all Clarity stamps.  I tore round all the edges then added glitter to all these torn edges.  I added oodles of Platinum Pearl Liquid Pearls to the card and sprinkled it with glitter.  Its supposed to be fairy dust but looks more like a hail storm! I quite like it though!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Artful Times - Tattered and Torn

Clarity Stamp - Wee Folk

Sorry this is short and rushed!  Thank you so much for visiting me - I really appreciate it!             Take Care, Christine xxx 

Butterflies

The butterflies are all from HobbyArt set called Butterflies and the sentiment is also from HobbyArt, a set called the Birthday Collection which I use loads and loads!  Its so useful.

All the stamping is done with black Versafine and embossed with clear powder.  I watercoloured the butterflies with Distress Inks - the colours I used are Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry, Dusty Concord and Wild Honey.  I cut them out then adhered them to some white card which I had pre-stamped with the sentiment and added paint splashes to the background for a bit of interest. Then I did a bit of layering and added a touch of clear Wink Of Stella for delicate sparkle here and there.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

HobbyArt - Wings
Time Out - CASE with your own twist and here is the awesome card by Kim that we had to CASE:

I use black cards loads and I love this one of Kim's so I thought I would go the opposite and use white and change the flowers for butterflies - I really enjoyed this challenge!

Please hop along to both these blogs if you get the chance - there is oodles of cool stuff to see!

Thank you very much for visiting me!  Your visits and comments make me so happy!  Take care. Christine xxx

Its The Little Things!

Sorry I haven't been around for a while lately (again!) -  I have not been feeling too well but am just making the challenge over at Artful Times which is 'in the style of Tim Holtz.  I am rushing this post as there is not much time to enter and my computer is on a go slow - aaaaargh!

The background is Festive Berries, Ripe Persimmon and Picked Raspberry Distress inks smooshed on my craft sheet with water then the card dragged through, dried then dabbed in the remaining ink.  I stamped with the same inks using Creative Expressions Chicken Wire and a Prima script stamp.  All the black is Versafine - the swirls are from Tim Holtz Urban Chicks and the sentiment is from his Good Thoughts set.  The die is again Tim Holtz - Honeycomb Framework.  The little stamps are from various stamp makes and sets and I cut card coloured the same out of the honeycomb die, stamped each image then double embossed each piece with clear embossing powder and versafine before sticking into the spaces of the black die cut.

I will leave the description at that as I don't want to miss the deadline.

If you have a chance, please pop over to Artful Times - its a fabulous challenge blog!

I would also like to enter the following Challenge:

Paper Players - use a Die Cut on your project - another fab blog for you to visit!

Thank you so very much for visiting me and welcome to my new followers!  I am incredibly grateful that you want to see what I get up to!  It makes me so happy! Take care. Christine xxx

Tag with a Pocket

I nearly missed the Artful Times challenge this time as I have been away at my Daughter's place and it slipped my mind!  Luckily I remembered in time and managed to put this card together.  The theme is 'A Tag with a Pocket' which I did but then mounted it on a card.

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The tag is a large tag from Inkylicious and the background is sprayed with Dylusions Bubblegum Pink Ink Spray and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Coffee Shop.  I dried with a heat gun then stamped randomly with a couple of stamps from Mini Mixed Media Backgrounds from Stamplorations in Vermillion Archival.  The flowers are die cuts using Penny Black Bashful and they are coming out of a little envelope which I used as a pocket.  I have lots of these that came from a set, I can't remember where from.  The large butterfly is by Memory Box and the small ones are Sizzix. The ribbon and pearls are from my stash and I did three score lines on each side of the black base card to add a bit of interest.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

Artful Times - Tag with a pocket
That's Crafty - Wings and Things
Buckwells Crafty Challenge - Flowers
Darnell's Blog - NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) - I haven't used the Penny Black Die before or the fabulous Stamplorations stamps.  I won the stamps as part of a win from a previous NBUS challenge, thank you so much Darnell!

 These are all fabulous Challenge Blogs and are definitely worth a visit!

I hope you have a lovely day whatever you are doing.  Thank you very much for visiting me - I appreciate it so very much and I love reading your comments!  Take care.  Christine xxx

Noel!

Two more cards for my Christmas card stash!  I have used the fabulous Dreamweaver Noel stencil and have made two cards to illustrate how different a stencil can look in different colours and pastes etc.

This one is using Dreamweaver Metallic Gold on black card and when dry a little gold glitter and a red stone added to the snowflake then a simple mat on red and a black card base - so simple!  Sorry about the bad photo!

For this one, I inked through the stencil with a couple of Distress Inks, cleaned the stencil and made sure the ink was dry then replaced the stencil and used Sweet Poppy Translucent stencil paste which dries clear.  Whilst still wet, I added glitter to the whole word.  When dry, I mounted on some vellum then the blue card and added the white card candi.  There is a bit more to this one bit its still quite simple.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Darnell's Blog - NBUS No. 4 - (Never Before Used Schtuff)  - my NBUS is the stencil which I have had for ages but never used, and the Translucent paste which I bought more recently.

Rudolph Days at Scrappymo's - Make a Christmas Card - Anything Goes
Please visit both these blogs, they are awesome!

Thank you so much for popping in today I love your visits and comments so much!  Have a fabulous week.  Take care.  Christine xxx