My Going Grey Natuarally Journey Begins!

Hello, thank you for visiting me, I really appreciate it!  No craft today - I am starting a journey to go from my coloured hair (I have been dying it for most of my adult life) to my natural hair colour which, as you can see from the parts at the front which I have been leaving natural for over a year, is grey!  I love the look of the streak and part fringe in contrast to my dyed red but I am fed up with constantly worrying about roots now that my hair is so white, and, in truth, I can't afford to keep having it done.  I like the colour grey it is at the front too so I hope it might look kind of cool!

I thought I would chart my progress on my blog and Facebook as I have been inspired by seeing pictures of many woman on line who have charted their journey so I thought I would do the same.   I have no roots at the moment as I had my hair done shortly before my 60th birthday celebrations began and this was taken at one such celebration just a couple of days ago. The last time with no roots! Scary!

I hope you don't mind sharing this journey with me!

I also would like to apologise for my lack of posts and visits but with my celebrations, I haven't been able to manage much else!  On Wednesday I am going to stay with my daughter and family for a few days and more celebrations!  After I have recovered from that, I hope to get back to crafting and blogging.  Also I owe emails and thank you cards to several people - I will get those sorted after then too!  Before if I can manage!

Thank you for reading this, I am so grateful!  Take care.  Christine xxx

Friends Are Flowers!

Hello!  Thank you for visiting me, I am so grateful!  I think some of you got the wrong idea from my last post.  I said it was a really quick post as I was hurrying for a challenge deadline which was true, but it was just the writing of the post not the actual making of the card that was fast! Sorry if I wasn't clear!

This card however was speed crafting!  One of the challenges I am entering involves speed stamping and after planning my card and getting everything I needed ready, it took me just a few seconds under ten minutes!  I got carried away with the splattering and almost went over the time!  Very close!

Its a one layer card so I worked directly on the card base..  I used a circle stencil and inked through it with Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade and Peeled Paint Distress Oxides for an autumnal pallet then spritzed with water to give some texture and activate the lovely chalky look of the ink.  The ink was quickly dried with my heat tool and I stamped, using my Misti and Black Versafine,  the gorgeous flower and sentiment  from Originally Organic by Uniko - I won this fabulous set along with the matching dies, thank you so much Bev at Uniko!  Notice my sentiment is straight - that is because my fabby friend Di very kindly sent me a couple of acetate grids to use in my Misti for straight sentiments and  spacing etc.  -  so awesome!  Thank you Di!

There are some black spots in the image so I added some extra ones on the card to continue the theme using a black fine liner and also the faux stitching round the edge of the circle then used Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen on the image for some sparkle.  Finally, using the same inks mixed with water, I added the splatters - I think I got a bit carried away!  A few seconds under ten minutes and all done! I think I will make some more like this as I really like the look!  CAS and quick too!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Uniko - Flowers

Time Out - Autumn with the Optional Twist of Speed Stamping - I used autumnal colours and speed stamping! Yay!
Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes
That's Crafty - Only Cards
Bizzy Becs - Anything Goes

Fabulous challenges, every one!

Thank you again for visiting me!  Take care.  Christine xxx

40th Birthday Card!

Hello, thank you for visiting me - this is the quickest post ever as I only have twenty minutes to enter one the challenges I want to join in with so sorry for any mistakes etc!  Right, here goes!

I started off with a Distress Inked background - in fact I made two so I could cut the flowers and words out of the same coloured card - I can't remember the colours, sorry!  The flowers are cut using Cheery Lynn Crysanthemum Strip Die layering two flowers for each one.  The forty was cut with a very old number set, I think its by Cuttlebug but not sure.  The corner panels are cut using Tim Holtz Sizzix die from the Mixed Media Thinlets set.  I used a couple of different  word stamp sets to make the sentiment and cut them out edging them with black alcohol marker then added some little pearls for the flower centres.  I glued the 40 to a circle of black card then glued it to the top flower. Before I glued anything down, I had stamped a couple of swirls from Creative Expressions Create a Swirl in Versafine and embossed with clear powder - the flowers are arranged on these for more interest to the background. This was for a friend of mine for her special birthday - I was really pleased how it turned out!

I would like to enter the following the challenges:

Allsorts - Add name or number.
That's Crafty - Only Cards.
CAS-ual Fridays - Friendship.
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Add a Sentiment
Try It On A Tuesday - In My Garden

Fab Challenges!

Thank you again for visiting me,  have a fab weekend - I will - its my 60th Birthday tomorrow (19th) Yay!  I love my big birthdays!  Take care. xxx

Flower Tag!

Hello!  How nice of you to visit - I really appreciate it, thank you!  A tag today.

This is quite a large tag, I don't know the size, but I traced around a white one I have to get the shape and size then cut it out.  I stamped the flower petals in black Versafine on white card and embossed with clear powder.  They are from the Sheena Douglass Create a Flower - Balloon Petals - stamp set.. I cut them out, watercoloured them with watered down Wilted Violet and Shaded Lilac Distress Inks to which I had added a little Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen.  Whilst the petals were still wet, I shaped them a little with my fingers to add a bit of shape then left them to dry.  When dry, I went round the edges of each petal with a black alcohol marker then glued the petals together with Cosmic Shimmer Glue and a few pieces of foam tape to add dimension.  This started off as a full flower but I decided to cut it in half to use on my tag.  The background is stamped with a cool stamp from Sheena's Funky Textures 2 stamp set, its embossed with Versamark and detail gold embossing powder.  My lovely sister Lilian sent me both stamp sets along with several more a while ago!  It was a lovely pressi!  Using one of the golds from the Gansai Tambi Starry Colours Watercolour set - I splattered gold paint on both the flower and the tag then when dry, adhered the flower to the tag with two part petals in the corners all cut to fit.  The tag is edged with Treasure Gold gilding wax, the words 'laughter, friendship, kindness' edged with black and little dots of gold added before and after each word were glued to each petal.  They are actually Tim Holtz Chit Chat stickers.  Finally, using Cosmic Shimmer glue I popped little beads in the centre of the flower and added ribbon from my stash.  I love these petals, they are so versatile!  The colours are much brighter in real life and all the gold shines!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

That's Crafty - Anything but Cards
Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes.
CAS-ual Fridays - Friendship.
A Vintage Journey - Watercolour.
Try it on Tuesday - In My Garden - I would love to have big purple flowers like these in my garden!
Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge - Anything Goes

I love challenges, they help give me ideas along with all the fun!  Just wonderful!  Sometimes you get to win prizes too!

Thank you again for visiting me and take care!  Christine xxx

I Love You To The Moon and Back!

Hello!  Thank you for visiting me, I appreciate it so much and I hope you have been having a lovely weekend.  It was our 13th Anniversary on Wednesday and this is the card I made for my wonderful husband.  He truly is my soulmate and best friend as well as my husband and I am so lucky to have him!

The most important part of this card is the fabulous Stamplorations sentiment which comes from a clear stamp set called Power of Words,  the words come with the moon and five stars which I embossed with Versamark and white detail powder on Watercolour card then inked with various Distress Inks.  I think I used Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord, Faded Jeans and Black Soot.  I spritzed with water, dabbed with kitchen roll, then spritzed with glimmer mist. I was really pleased how my watercolour background turned out! I forgot to say that before I inked, I used Pebeo masking fluid to protect the stars as I wanted to colour them in afterwards.  I cut a rough mask to cover the sentiment and used a paintbrush to splash some watered down white paint over the background for a bit more interest when dry, removed the masking fluid with a clean finger.  The moon and stars are coloured with Promarkers then I coloured some little stars which I had die cut for another project and were left over, with the same Promarker as the main moon and stars.  The skyline is cut from black card using a Clearly Besotted die and I glued little pieces of yellow card to the back of the die for the lights in the windows then added this and the stars to the sky.  I matted it onto some matching yellow card then onto the blue card base.  Finally, I added Glossy Accents to the moon and stars so they all glow.  Sorry my  photo isn't very good, as I have said before, my photography skills are rubbish!

I would like to enter following challenges:

A Vintage Journey - Watercolour.
CAS-ual Fridays - Friendship - my husband is my best friend!
Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes.
Bizzy Becs - Anything Goes.
Stamplorations  - Never Ending Anything Goes Challenge.

All these fab challenges are worth entering -  so much fun and inspiration!

Thank you again for visiting me and take care!  Christine xxx

Feel Better Soon!

Hello!  How nice of you to visit me - I am so very grateful that you take the time to come and see what I am up to!  A CAS card today.

The image is the smaller of two elephants from the 'Jumbo' stamp set by Stamp Addicts, I have had this set for years.  Its stamped in onyx black Versafine and embossed with detail clear powder then coloured with Promarkers.  I cut it out with a Spellbinders die and edged it with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink and added some of the same ink to the elephants ears, feet and cheeks as it was a nicer pink than the Promarker I had used.  The patterned paper is a scrap from my bit box which was just the right size and colour I was looking for to go with the image  I just had to trim some off the end.  I love the butterfly pattern and am hoping, when I search through my stash, that I may have some full sheets left somewhere.  If my memory is correct, they came in a pad free with a magazine. I glued the image to the paper then stamped the sentiment, from a Marion Emberson clear set, then used clear sparkle pen on the butterflies and elephant.

I would like to enter the following challenges

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use snippets - the patterned paper and white card for stamping are both snippets.
Casology - Clean and Simple. - Safari.
Penny Black and More - All Creatures Great and Small.
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - For a Child - I think this would make a perfect get well card for a child.
Stamplorations CAS Challenge - Clean and Simple  - Stamplorations CAS Challenge is on summer vacation but you can still link up your CAS cards for a chance to win a prize!

All these challenges are wonderful - you find so much inspiration and fun joining in!

Thank you again for visiting me.  Take care!  Christine  xxx