March Rudolph Day's Challenge!

Hello and welcome to my blog - thank you so much for visiting me, I appreciate it so much!  I hope you are having a lovely Easter weekend!

A Christmas card today:

There is lots of gold shine on the lovely (free with a magazine) backing paper but you can't see it in the photo.  The poinsettia is made using a Creative Expressions die set cut from snippets of white card then while still in the die, I inked through with red Distress Ink and glued the layers together then to the panel.  The sentiment was free with a magazine and stamped with red Versafine.  I added gold Stickles to the centre of the poinsettia and to the sentiment for some sparkle and also some Sakura Clear Stardust pen to the red veins on the poinsettia and the letters of the sentiment for added glimmer.  I wish it showed up better in the photo, sorry.  I made two of these cards and two in a slightly different colourway but didn't finish in time to blog the different colour option.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Scrappy Mo's March Rudolph Day's Challenge - Anything Christmas.
Christmas Crafts All Year Round - Christmas and Use Flowers.
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

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

Twofer Challenge No. 3!

Hello and thank you for visiting me, I appreciate it so much!
Its Darnell's Twofer Challenge No, 3.  Its so much fun.  This time it is Blossoms - I chose to use wildflowers - they are blossoms too!

I used three of the dies from Tim Holtz Sizzix Wildflower thinlets which I cut using my Sizzix Big Shot - the same dies on each card but two different designs and occasions.

I went for a bright and sparkly birthday card and a more subdued thinking of you card.  I will put separate pictures below so the detail shows better and give a rundown on how I made each card.  The first one (the birthday card) I am also entering into some other challenges so I will pop those below the picture too.

I used watercolour card for this one and inked it with Picked Raspberry, Ripe Persimmon and Wilted Violet Distress Inks then spritzed with water and dried.  I used French Script and Cross Hatching stamps from IndigoBlu to stamp the same inks to add further interest to the background.  The three flowers were glued on then the sentiment from Woodware Annie stamp set, stamped on inked card using black Versafine, cut out, edged with black pen and also the little dashes, then glued on too.  The little butterfly is actually a sticker but it fitted perfectly!  I used different colour Stickles to add lots of bling and sparkle then squeezed my Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen and added splashes across the whole panel to add even more bling.  Glued the panel onto a black card base to really bring out the colours. 

This card I would like to enter into the following extra challenges.

Allsorts - Bring on the Bling
Time Out Challenges - its their 4th Birthday and the inspiration words are 'Birthdays Are Full Of Sunshine, Love and Laughter. 
CuttlebugMania - Spring and you must use a manual die cutting maching. - I used my Sizzix Big Shot and Wildflowers start coming in Spring!
That;s Crafty - Spring into Action - again Wildlowers bloom in Spring!

The second Twofer card is the Thinking of You card.

The same dies again but this time on a brayered background on gloss card using a very old Big and Juicy ink pad. Its spritzed with a little water to give it texture. The sentiment is from HobbyArt and is stamped with Majestic Blue Versafine.  Very simple but that is what I feel a thinking of you card should be.

The Twofer Challenge really makes you think although I haven't been very inventive with my two cards this time.  Some of the entries are always amazing using stamps or dies in ways you really wouldn't expect.  I hope these cards are different enough to qualify!

Thank you again for visiting me and I hope you are having a lovely week.

Take care.  Christine. xxx

Underwater Postcard!

Hello and welcome to my blog!  Thank you so much for visiting me.  A postcard today.

I started with a 6 x 4 piece of card which I had painted with gesso as I wasn't sure what medium I was going to use.  I ended up using Distress Oxides so didn't really need to use gesso but hey ho!  I spritzed the background with water then left to dry naturally.  The gorgeous Lavinia sea creatures were stamped with black Archival ink using my Misti so I could stamp several times to get solid images as the gesso background is slightly textured.  The underwater foliage is also Lavinia but I cannot find out what these stamps are called, sorry.  They are both stamped with different colour Distress Oxides using first, second and third generation stamping.  The words are stamped in black Versafine on inked card then cut out.  They were  from a stamp set by Crafters Companion set Magic Garden.  I edged with ink then black alcohol marker then finished off with lots of stickles for bling and some Tonic glitter drops for bubbles from the fish and the sea horse.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Country View Challenges - Postcards.
Allsorts - Bring On The Bling.
Penny Black and More - Feature A Creature.
Craft Stamper - Anything Goes.

Thank you again for visiting me!  I hope you are having a wonderful week and a crafty one too!
Take care. Christine xxx

Green Man!

Hello and thank you so much for visiting me - I really appreciate it.  Sorry I haven't been around Blogland very much lately - I will try and do better!

I made this card for my wonderful husband, Darren's, birthday which was earlier this month.

I am sorry the photo is rather insipid - the black is very black and the background for the wonderful Lavinia Green Man stamp is gorgeous with various Oxide inks and the Green Man itself is coloured with Pro Markers too.   My photography is rubbish!  I stamped the image with Versafine and embossed it with clear powder then cut out with Spellbinders Labels 18.  I popped it on with mounting foam on the black card base which I had first embossed with Creative Expressions Bark embossing folder.  The sentiment and heart were made using dies that came free with a magazine.  Darren has always loved the Green Man image and when I saw this stamp released last year by Lavinia, I just had to buy it straight away and hang onto it till his birthday this year!  I am pleased to say he really likes the card!

The Green Man is found in many cultures from many ages around the world.  It is primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth representing the cycle of growth each spring.  (Thank you Wikipedia!)

I would like to enter the following fabulous Challenges:

That's Crafty - Spring Into Action - Green Man
Cuttlebug Mania - Springtime -Green Man and I used my Big Shot for both the embossed background and the Spellbinders die cut.
Craft Stamper - Anything Goes.
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets - The main image and sentiment were both made from white snippets.
STAMPlorations - All about Spring and Faith - Green Man.

Thank you again for visiting me and I hope you are having a fabulous week.

Take care.  Christine xxx

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