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