Rudolph Day's Challenge February 2018!

Hello!  I hope you are keeping safe and warm and thank you so much for visiting me!  A Christmas card today.

A simple card today using the fabulous Deer Wood stamp from IndigoBlu which is stamped with black Versafine on a Distress Oxide and Glimmer Mist background.  I used Salty Ocean and Broken China.  I dotted white pen all over the background for my snow and under the base of the trees and the gorgeous deers feet too then added lots of glitter for sparkle.  Matted the image on navy card then a white card base. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Rudolph Day's Challenge - Anything Christmas.
Country View Challenges - Anything But Cute.
Bizzy Becs - Anything Goes.
Allsorts Challenge. - Something Beginning with 'B'.  Mine is Blue and Blizzard.

Thank you again for visiting me.  Take care.  xxx

Pussy Cat ATC for Janis's Birthday!

Hello and thank you for visiting me - I really appreciate it!  Happy Birthday to Janis over at
Her Peaceful Garden.  Janis is having huge celebrations on her blog as its her 60th this year and this ATC is part of the celebrations.  Janis, it will be winging its way across the pond to you but it will be very late for your birthday - I am so sorry!

I cut the ATC out of watercolour card using Sizzix Bigz Die by Tim Holtz ATC and corners.  I coloured the ATC and the corners using Distress Oxides and water then when dry, I stencilled through some dry wall tape with one of the inks used for the background then stamped with IndigoBlu Collection Edition No 1. Bubbles stamp that came part of a set of stamps I was lucky enough to win recently.  The corners were glued on then I edged the ATC with a black alcohol marker.  The cat is from another IndigoBlu stamp set called Kevin's gang which I stamped in black Versafine and embossed with clear powder.  Coloured with Promarkers then added Glossy Accents to the spots and eyes and fussy cut out.  The words from the same stamp set were stamped on inked card, cut out then again edged with black marker.  Glued everything on and job done.  I love this cheeky cat - there are several more on the stamp set.

Once again 'Happy Birthday' to Janis and thank you for visiting.

Have a lovely day.  Take care.  Christine xxx

Twofer Challenge No. 2!

Hello and welcome!  Thank you for visiting me - I really appreciate it.  Its already time for Darnell's second fabulous Twofer Challenge.  I say already time, in fact its the last day to enter!  I am close to the finishing line - it happens quite a lot with me! 

For the challenge you must use the same stamp or die for two completely different cards for two different occasions following the theme which this time is 'Hearts'.  I chose to use a little heart from the Flutter Love die set by Spellbinders and try and think of ways to use it not as a heart - here is what I came up with. Here are the two cards together.  I will show them individually below so you can see the detail better.

Here is the one on the right:

I used the hearts as the candle flames.  They were cut from snippets of yellow card and the strips of patterned papers I used for the candles are also snippets.  Firstly I die cut the circle from a piece of white card using a die from Spellbinders small circle set then embossed the piece with the Cuttlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder.  I glued it to a snippet of white card being sure to not glue the circle too close to the bottom edge to leave room for the candles to sit behind the rim.  When everything was glued into place, I added some matching patterned paper to my card base then the embossed panel and finished off with a few pearls and some Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen to the flames.

I would like  to enter this card into the following additional challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets.
Less is More - Dry Embossing.

Here is the one on the left:

I used the hearts to make a little butterfly.  This is incredibly clean and simple.  I used masking tape to mask off the panel then inked with Abandoned Coral and Candied Apple Distress Oxides, sprayed the panel with Glimmer Mist, dabbed with kitchen roll then when dry, stamped with one of the Oxides using French Script by IndigoBlu. Removed the masking tape then, using my Misti, stamped the Hobby Art sentiment with black Versafine.  The butterfly is just two of the same little hearts as the candle flames but coloured with the same inks used for the panel, with little jewels and Sparkle Pen added along with the hand drawn antenna.

I had great fun making these and thinking outside the box for the hearts.

I would like to enter this into the following extra challenge:

Allsorts Challenge Blog - I Spy Something Beginning With B.

The Twofer Challenge is such fun - I must try and enter earlier next month!  I bet I said the same thing last month too!

Thank you again for visiting and have a fabulous weekend.  Take care.  Christine xxx

Valentine's Canvas

Hello and welcome to my blog - its so nice of you to visit!  Today I have a small canvas I made for my wonderful husband instead of a Valentine's card.  I got the idea for making a canvas and for the heart from my good friend Anne's post here.  I hope you don't mind me pinching your idea Anne - your canvas is wonderful!

As usual my photograph is pretty rubbish - the heart is a much richer red and the black is blacker - so sorry!  The board canvas is 7 x 5 inches and I painted it with a couple of coats of black paint then, when dry and after using an anti static bag, I stamped the script by Prima and the corners from Sheena Douglass Ageing Beautifully in Versamark then embossed with detail gold embossing powder.  I painted the grey board heart with gesso then Barn Door Distress paint then embossed with about five coats of clear embossing powder.  I inked up the gorgeous Garden Heart stamp by Clarity Stamp with black Archival Ink - quickly remelted the embossing till it was moulten, then stamped into the heart pressing quite hard and leaving it for a minute or so before I removed it.  I was so pleased with how it turned out - its so textured and the image came out perfectly!  I haven't tried this before.  The sentiments are also from various Sheena Douglass stamp sets and the little hearts from Spellbinders die set Flutter Love.  The hearts and sentiments are embossed a couple of times with clear powder too.  The heart charms are from my stash.  I added brads to all three large hearts then glued everything to the canvas using Cosmic Shimmer PVA and Pinflair Glue Gel for the solid heart.  Darren liked it which was cool!  He is going to stand it on one of his record shelves so I didn't need to add a hanger.

Thank you again Anne for the idea!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

A Vintage Journey Melt It.
Penny Black and More - Love Hearts And Flowers.
That's Crafty - I Heart You.
Country View Challenges - Anything But Cute.
Try It On A Tuesday - Love Is In The Air.

Thank you again for visiting me and I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Take care - Christine xxx

Sea Horse Card!

Hello, its so nice of you to visit my little blog!  Thank you very much.  This is a card I made last year for my very good friend Anne's birthday but never blogged it.  Anne also sent me the little Tim Holtz sea horse die cut, along with many more, as I don't have the die set, thank you so much Anne!

The background is done with my Encaustic Art waxes and craft iron.  I don't use them as often as I should.  I sealed the wax with a special sealer so it doesn't scratch then mounted the piece on a white card blank.  Popped the little seahorse in the corner with a blue stone for the eye.  I shouldn't say it about my own work but I absolutely love this!  With Encaustic, you can never get the same effect twice. 

I would like to enter the following challenges:

A Vintage Journey - Melt It.
That's Crafty - Feeling Blue.
Country View Challenges - Anything But Cute.

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