Guest DT Card for IndigoBlu

Recently I was lucky enough to win the IndigoBlu challenge - I was so pleased and even more pleased when I realised that part of the prize is to be Guest Designer for the new challenge which starts today!  The challenge is to use a sketch, something I have never done before.  You can join in the challenge and see the fab DT makes here.  Its great fun!  I missed the last one unfortunately, I will try not to do that again!  You can win a fab prize of a choice of IndigoBlu stamps - the ones I chose are gorgeous and the quality is always awesome!

I used the amazingly fabulous IndigoBlu Blazing Poppies stamp but decided not to go with red. The backgrounds are achieved using Milled Lavender, Scattered Straw and Seedless Preserves Distress Inks, chicken wire sequin waste as a mask along with the Best Wishes and corner stamp from IndigoBlu Nottingham Lace. The swirl in the top left is from a mixed sheet of IndigoBlu stamps I bought at a show.  The main image is painted with the same Distress Inks except for the leaves where I used a Promarker.  The two larger butterflies are die cuts, the centres of the flowers are sequins with a little seed bead added.  I coloured the ribbon with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink and water and added a dazzler to the centre which I coloured with a coordinating Promarker.  The embossing on the black card is done with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.  To add a bit of sparkle, the flowers and butterflies are painted with clear Wink of Stella.

Its a bit scary having my card on the IndigoBlu blog with the DT samples as theirs are always so awesome and professional!  Its a real honour though - Thank you so much IndigoBlu!

Thank you so much to you too for visiting me!  I appreciate it so much and love it when you leave me a comment.  Have a lovely Sunday and take care! Christine xxx

Bev's Birthday!

Today it is Bev at Happy Dance Blog's birthday!  Yo, Happy Birthday Bev!  Darnell is hosting a blog party and Ardyth has the Linky.  Thank you ladies!

I love this stamp!  Its Penny Black, Tweet Wishes.  I stamped it with black Versafine and embossed with clear powder.  Coloured with Promarkers.  Cut out the image with a Spellbinders die and inked through with a Distress Ink.  Added the sentiment and I was done!

Sorry this is a quick post, struggling with Hubby's hospital appointments etc. at the moment.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

A Little Bit Crafty - Distress it - I have used Distress Ink so I hope it qualifies!
Scrapology - Anything Goes.

Please visit all the blogs mentioned in this post if you have the time, you will see some awesome work!

Thank you so much for visiting me.  I absolutely love it when you do!  Take care.  Christine xxx

Clarity Feminine

Over at Clarity Challenge Blog the theme is Feminine.  Here is my effort - just in time!  Its the last day.

I chose the background from a pile of Gelli plate prints I had made - the dress is decoupaged from the same sheet.  The lovely lady is Rosie by Clarity and she is stamped in Black Archival.  Around the edge I stamped the leaves from the Clarity Birdhouse stamp set.  The Happy Birthday is a die that came free with a magazine and the little flowers are a fab die which is loads of teeny tiny flowers.  I added pearls then coloured Rosie's hair and shoes with coloured pencils, shaded under her feet with a Distress Marker and it was finished.  I would have coloured her hair and shoes with Distress Markers if I had the right colours.  I must also confess that the sentiment wasn't supposed to be there but I had an ink accident that I needed to cover up but I actually quite like it!

Please pop over to The Clarity Challenge Blog and have a look, its fab!

Thank you so much for visiting me, I really appreciate it loads and loads!  Have a lovely Sunday.  Take care.  Christine xxx

Christmas in July

The Challenge over at IndigoBlu is Christmas in July - the perfect time to use the fabulous Stag Cliffhanger stamp for the first time!

The background is coloured using Stormy Sky, Dusty Concord and Scattered Straw inks along with the moon and hills masks by Clarity.  The wonderful stamp by IndigoBlu is stamped in Black Archival and I used the tree to edge the scene.  I added 'snow' with dries white glue and Cosmic Shimmer Diamond Sparkles and used Quickie Glue Pen and the sparkles on the tree and edging.  The last thing is Card Candi dotted with 'snow'.  I didn't use any extra layers as I didn't think it needed it.

I nearly forgot I also would like to enter this into the Stamping challenge over at That's Crafty.

Please pop over to see the amazing DT makes and the other entries over at IndigoBlu and That's Crafty

I hope you have some nice plans for the weekend - I am seeing my Son and his girlfriend along with my Daughter and Granddaughter tomorrow.  I am really looking forward to it!

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

Never Forget

It was our tenth anniversary yesterday and this is the card I made for my wonderful husband, Darren.

Its not a traditional anniversary card, not a heart in sight!  It was the sentiment 'Never Forget I Love You' that came with the fab Sheena, A taste of India set of stamps which made me decide this was the card to make. The black stamping is Versafine embossed with clear powder.  The elephant and leaves are coloured with Promarkers and its head gear and blanket are painted with matching Distress Inks to the background. The background piece of card has been inked then a Taste of India embossing folder inked with Encore Metallic Gold Ink on the flatter side then the card embossed through the Cuttlebug then heat embossed with Gold detail powder.  The numbers and letters are by Clarity and the stones are from my stash.  I have also added gold Gilding Wax around the edges. Distress Inks used are Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Fired Brick and Picked Raspberry.  My photo is not very good - the card looks more vibrant and the stones, gold embossing and wax all shine.

I  would like to enter the following challenges:

That's Crafty - this challenge is all about using stamps.
Paper Players - this is a colour challenge - my colours are darker versions so |I hope it qualifies!
Papertake Weekly - this one is Anything Goes.

Please visit these Challenge blogs to see what they are all about and to see the fab DT makes and other brilliant entries

Hope you are all having a good weekend.  If you are in England, I am guessing you may have rain today - its throwing it down and thundering here in Bournemouth.  I am hoping to spend some time crafting today - haven't managed much lately!

Take care and thank you so much for visiting me, I really do appreciate  it so very very much!  Christine xx

First Try With Peg Stamps

I was watching Create and Craft this morning where the products being demonstrated were by Card-io stamps.  They specialise in peg stamps.  I have had several sets for ages and not really used them and was inspired to play!  Here is my first attempt using them.

The set I used is Oriental Blossom and the inks are various colours of VersaColour along with Coffee Archival.  The sentiment is a an old wooden Penny Black stamp which is one of my favourite birthday stamps.  I added a little Glamour Dust for sparkle.  I will be using my peg stamps a lot more now, they are definitely addictive!  I need lots more sets too!

I would like to enter this into The Crafting Musketeers challenge which is 'Summertime'.  Please hop over and see the DT fab projects and other entries.

I hope you are having a fab weekend.  Thank you so much for visiting me, I appreciate it so very much!  Take care! Christine xx

Its a Hoot!

Firstly, I would like to apologise for being out of Blogland for which seems like ages!  Its due to mine and my husbands health problems.  Things are a bit difficult so I haven't been crafting hardly at all or paying blog visits.  I am so very sorry!

Here is a card I made a while ago for my Father-in-law's birthday.

The cute owl stamp is Hoot designed by Sam Poole from Creative Expressions and the sentiment is from the same set.  He is stamped in Coffee Archival, embossed with clear powder and coloured with Promarkers.  The bark background is made using a Creative Expressions embossing folder rubbed over with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The hole is punched out and brown card added behind.  The branches are cut with Spellbinders Cherry Blossom die.  I hand cut the banner, added some brads and Card Candi coloured to match and job done!

Thank you for visiting me.  I can't tell you just how much your support means to me!  Tomorrow I will start visiting as many blogs as I can manage.  Take care and have a good weekend. Christine xxx