Allsorts Challenge #665

Good morning everyone,

Hope you are all ok this weekend after the awful storms at the start of the week. It's Saturday again already, so it's time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. 

We are welcoming a new DT member this week - Dena (aka Stampin' Mim) .. so please pop over to her blog to view her fab creations. 

This week Lolo has chosen the theme although she is currently taking a break, and it is

Hand Coloured or Paper Pieced Image

We have 2 great prizes on offer: firstly this tonic studio die set from Coleman’s Craft Warehouse

and Ruth Hamilton Design is offering  3 digi images of the winner's choice from her online store

This week I have 2 cards to share - one for paper piecing, and a hand coloured image using an image from this week's prize donor Ruth Hamilton Design

For my first card, I decided to go with the paper piecing option, as it is something I don’t do very often. I stamped my image onto background card, plus three times onto co-ordinating patterned papers. I fussy cut one flower from each of the papers and adhered to my base image, and coloured the leaves with Promarkers. I then die cut the finished image using one of my new stitched square dies and sponged distress oxide inks around the edges. I covered the front of my base card with another piece of patterned paper, and matted the stitched panel onto it, then finished with a stamped sentiment, a small bow, and a mixture of various pink and green gems .  

As always the main picture doesn't capture the sparkle of the gems very well, so here is an angled pic.

Stamps: Woodware - Petal Trio; sentiment - Summer Meadow set free with card making magazine;

Media:  Versafine (Onyx); Promarkers; Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Rustic Wilderness, Twisted Citron);

Papers: LotV Nitwits - Perfect Pair;

Tools: stitched square die from Amazon;

Gems from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #423 - Birthdays (2nd entry)

Country View Challenges (February) - Hearts and Flowers (2nd entry)

(You may ask where is the heart in this one … you need to look closely at the sentiment😀)

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper (February) - Anything Goes with Patterned Paper

Penny's Challenge #515 - Anything Goes with Patterned Paper

Time Out #208 - 8th Birthday Challenge (2nd entry)

For my second card I have used a beautiful image by Ruth Hamilton Design called "Snowdrops".  I’m having a bit of a snowdrop moment just now as I really love them, and I noticed some in the garden for the first time yesterday 😀

Firstly I coloured my printed image with Promarkers, then I created a smoosh background on a separate piece of card using Distress Oxide ink, and stamped my background spring words using second generation stamping. I used my Lavinia hill and circle masks and more Distress Oxides to create my sun and grounding for the snowdrops, then fussy cut my image and adhered it to the background. I stamped my main sentiment in the corner, matted everything onto some pearlescent linen cardstock, attached twine and a heart shaped button, then finished with a few sparkly gems and holographic glitter on the snowdrop petals.

As always the camera doesn't really catch the glitter, so here is the angled shot.

Stamps: Ruth Hamilton Design - Snowdrops (digi); Lavinia - Spring Words; Penny Black - Spring Magic (2852C);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Salvaged Patina, Cracked Pistachio, Squeezed Lemonade, Peacock Feathers); Versafine (Onyx); Versafine Clair (Warm Breeze);

Twine, button and gems from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

A Gem of a Challenge #5 2022 - Anything Goes

Ally’s Angels #55 - Anything Goes

Colour Crazy Craft Challenges #8 2022 - Anything Goes with Colouring

Craft Rocket Challenges #89 - Sparkle/Bling (2nd entry)

Crafter's Cafe #282 - Make Your Own Background (3rd entry)

Crafts Galore Encore #96 - Anything Goes  (2nd entry)

Crafty Calendar (February) - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Crafty Catz #584 - Anything Goes with option Flowers

Creatalicious #229 - Anything Goes with option Make Your Own Background

Creative Crafters #49 - Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday #8 2022 - Anything Goes

Double Trouble #104 - Spring

I ❤️ Promarkers #504 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2208 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Sweet Stampin’ - Girly but No Pink

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Worldwide Open Design Team Challenge #2 2022 - Anything Goes

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Rainbow Rose

Hi everyone,

Last year I signed up for a Kit & Clowder online colouring class which was a gift from a friend of mine.  I still haven’t actually got round to completing it yet, partly because I am now spending a lot more time cardmaking and blogging, but also because I have got distracted a few times by some of the free classes that Kit & Clowder offer.  

This week is K & C’s 8th birthday so the owner Alyce has set a Facebook Group challenge for people to colour something new from one of her classes (paid or free!!) with loads of fab prizes on offer.  This motivated me to have a go at the “Rainbow Rose” class that has been in my inbox for a while; and when I had finished colouring the image I just had to make a card from it - here’s the result.

This class was quite challenging as there were lots of colours required to make a full rainbow effect, and although I own about 120 colours I was missing a few of the required shades. However Alyce always encourages you to make the best of the supplies you’ve got, so I did my best with the Promarkers I have available . I was quite thrilled with the finished result even though my colouring isn’t perfect, but sadly it went downhill a bit when I started making a card with it. 

First I cut out my image with a stitched die almost as big as my card base, but as the colouring card is a different shade I then needed background paper, and this also pointed me down the road of sponging DO ink  around the edges of the die cut, which was maybe not the best idea given the multiple colours in the flower.  I was also struggling to find a suitable sentiment and ended up using an old wood mounted one, which was also a bit of a schoolgirl error after having spent over 2 hours colouring the image, as it smudged slightly!! Even worse I got a small ink smudge on the page, hence the liberal application of “dewdrop” iridescent gems!  Still I think I managed to salvage it which is a relief as it really is a stunning image and a lot of care went into colouring it. 

Stamps: Kit & Clowder "Rainbow Rose" (digi); sentiment - Penny Black;

Media: Promarkers; Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink (Salvaged Patina);

Tools: Stitched Square die from Amazon;

Background paper snippet and gems from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

I ❤️ Promarkers #504 - Anything Goes with option Birthday

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2208 - Anything Goes - HONORARY MENTION

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations (February) - Anything Stamped (3rd entry)

Time Out #208 - 8th Birthday Challenge

Take care, and thanks very much for visiting today.

Hugs,

 

#Uniko10

Just a very quick post from me today, to share a card I made for the Uniko 10th birthday celebrations "Quest 6" which was to share a card made with Uniko products on Instagram, with the hashtag #Uniko10. I have shared this card on Instagram (even though I'm pretty clueless when it comes to that!) but am also sharing it here to enter a few challenges.

As mentioned on a previous post I currently only own one set of Uniko stamps which are sentiments, however Bev has kindly allowed people to use some free digi downloads to make cards with for her birthday challenges. I love snowdrops so have used this one from "Spring Botanicals". 

I inked up an acrylic block with Distress Oxide ink and spritzed with water then stamped directly onto my card base; then spattered a second colour onto the acrylic block and stamped again. I coloured my snowdrop image with Promarkers, fussy cut and adhered on top of the inked panel. I finished with my sentiment stamped in VFC "Morning Mist" as it is less harsh than black, a few more spatters, gems and a little fine liner doodling.

Stamps: Uniko Spring Botanicals - Snowdrop (digi), Birthday Sentiments;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Salvaged Patina, Cracked Pistachio); Promarkers; Versafine Clar (Morning Mist); dark grey fineliner;

Gems from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #423 - Birthdays - HONOURABLE ADDICT

As You Like It - Favourite Occasion (and why)

(I just love making birthday cards as they can really be tailored to the individual) 

Crafter's Cafe #282 - Make Your Own Background (2nd entry)

The Flower Challenge #65 - Occasions

Krafty Chicks #599 - CAS

Less Is More #458 - Birthdays

Seize the Birthday #233 - Dichromatic

If you haven't yet joined in with the Uniko 10th birthday celebrations I would recommend it as there are some fun quizzes and great prizes - more details on the Uniko blog.

That's all from me for today ... take care and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #664

Good morning everyone,

It's Saturday so here we are again with another weekly Allsorts Challenge. This week Lynn has chosen the theme and it is

I Love ...

We would love to see your makes featuring the things you love in crafting .. could include supplies, techniques, colours - the scope is endless!

This week we have 2 brilliant prizes on offer, kindly donated by Oakwood Direct who will be releasing their new spring 2022 stamps and stencils on the Craft Store on Monday (21st February) at 9am and 1pm (UK time). 

A surprise £15 prize bundle

and

this pretty stencil

Here's my card for this week.

There are so many things I love in crafting, including quite a few I have discovered since coming back to it last summer after several years away. My main new loves are distress oxide inks and stencilling; and I am also trying to get into a more "arty" style of stamping.  I also love dragonfly images, so this all came together for this week’s card using this stunning Visible Image stamp which just fell into my online shopping basket a couple of weeks ago!!

First I created a Distress Oxide background hexagon using my Press to Impress Art Board and stencils, which I then spattered with water to create a faux bleach effect. After stamping my main dragonfly image onto the inked background I lightly stencilled the top right and bottom left corners with an AALL & Create hexagon stencil, then did some 2nd generation background stamping in the opposite corners using AALL & Create and Indigo Blu background stamps. I mounted the finished panel onto a black cardstock border, and finished with my sentiments popped up on foam tape and a teeny tiny heart gem. 

I really am very pleased with how this card turned out as it represents a direction I'm keen to explore; though I have to say it's very easy to make a presentable card with such a stunning stamp.

Stamps: Visible Image - Dragonfly Dreams (dragonfly and "dreams" sentiment); AALL & Create #383 - Scripted Hexagons; Indigo Blu Collectors Edition No. 37 - Grungy Little Squares; "Follow Your.." sentiment - unknown;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron, Blueprint Sketch); Versafine (Onyx);

Tools: Crafts Too Press to Impress Art Board stencil - hexagon; AALL & Create stencil - Heapza Hexagons.

Heart gem from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Corrosive Challenge #2 2022 - Anything Goes

Crafter's Cafe #282 - Make Your Own Background

Crafts Galore Encore #96 - Anything Goes - DT FAVOURITE

Crafty Calendar (February) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Happy Little Stampers: Stencil (February) - Anything Goes

NBUS #35 - Use Never Before Used Schtuff

(mine is my main dragonfly image, and Indigo Blu background stamp)

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2207 - Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations (February) - Anything Stamped with option of Wings or Tails (2nd entry)

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

We Love Stamping (February) - Anything Stamped with option to add Stencilling (3rd entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Be Mine ❤️

❤️❤️❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day everyone ❤️❤️❤️

Today I would like to share the Valentine card I made for my darling husband. 

He loves nature and woodland creatures, so when I was making some post-Christmas purchases from Lavinia I allowed a few to gambol into my shopping basket 😀. For this card I decided to use two of my new woodland hares as they could gaze adoringly at each other. A nature scene also ticked more boxes for Valentine’s Day as he isn’t a big fan of the traditional Valentine colour red (football loyalties intrude into every aspect of life) 🤣🤣

First I used my Press to Impress art board and heart stencil to create a distress oxide background night sky, with a circle cut from masking sheet for the moon. I created some landscape using my Lavinia hill masks and more distress oxide and Versafine Clair (Twilight), and sponged a little VFC around the moon to make it pop. I removed my circle mask and sponged some clouds across it with paler DO inks.

I stamped my two hares using Versafine and 2 mini hearts using more DO ( I don’t have any VFC in a suitable colour for hearts), then stamped my mini leaf spray all the way round the edge of the heart… I couldn’t possibly have done this in the past without my stamp positioner!! I'm actually very pleased with how that turned out ... I had that little stamp since before Christmas and wasn't quite sure what to do with it, but it was a perfect fit for this.  I then stamped a few hanging heart fairy charms and background trees, and highlighted the scene with my Sakura stardust sparkle pen.

I’m not very well off for Valentine sentiments, so found the best one I could muster and used it in a postmark style. I then matted my stamped panel onto glitter card and my card base … it is an 8x8 card so there was quite a bit of open space, which I filled with a couple of die cut hearts and some co-ordinating heart gems.  Finally I stamped a corner of my envelope to match .. job done!!

Stamps: Lavinia Woodland Hares (large), Fairy Charms, Skeleton Tree Scene, Single Heart Mini, Mini Leaf 2; sentiment - unknown;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Chipped Sapphire, Blueprint Sketch, Seedless Preserves, Stormy Sky, Picked Raspberry); Versafine (Onyx, Imperial Purple); Versafine Clair (Twilight, Morning Mist); Sakura Gelly roll pen - Stardust;

Tools: Press To Impress art board and heart stencil; Lavinia hill masks; Marianne  Design Creatables  heart dies (LR 0159); 

Gems from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

A Place to Start #202202 - Anything Goes with option My Fauna Valentine

As You Like It - True Love or Fabulous Friendships (and why)

(I think both are incredibly important for a happy life .. but on Valentine’s Day it’s just got to be all about love 🥰🥰)

C.R.A.F.T. #626 - Love / Valentine

Craft Rocket Challenges #89 - Sparkle / Bling

Creatalicious #228 - Anything Goes with option Love

Creative Inspirations (February) - With Love

Daring Cardmakers - My Sweet Valentine

Dragonfly Dreams (February) - Love

Ellibelle’s Crafty Wednesday (February ) - Hearts or Flowers (2nd entry)

Everybody Art #507 - Love and/or Heart

Get Creative #108 - Use Hearts

Happy Little Stampers: Dies (February) - Anything Goes with Dies

Little Red Wagon #640 - Be My Love / Valentine

My Time to Craft #475 - All You Need is Love

Paper Funday #38 - Anything Goes with option Hugs and Kisses - WINNER

Simon Says (Monday) - Love Is In the Air

Stamping Sensations (February) - Anything Stamped with option Wings or Tails

Sweet Stampin’ - Love, Love, Love

Try It on Tuesday - All Loved Up - TOP 5

Use Your Stuff #441 - Hearts / Love

We Love Stamping (February) - Anything Stamped with option Add Stencilling (2nd entry)

I think that's me all loved out for today ... hope you all have a lovely day ❤️ - take care and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #663

Good morning everyone,

The week has flown by and it's Saturday again already ... so it's time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. This week Ellie has chosen the theme and it is

CAS with option Elegance

So we would love to see your CAS cards (plenty of white or uncluttered space), which really lends itself to elegance if you feel that way inspired!

This week we have 2 more fab prizes up for grabs:

WOWVOW has kindly donated a £15 store voucher

and we also have this gorgeous AALL & Create stencil from Coleman's Craft Warehouse

Here's my card for this week.

Part of my inspiration for this card was a month long 10th birthday celebration that is going on over at Uniko, which includes a challenge to make a birthday card using Uniko products. I discovered this brand last year when I won a stamp set and chose some birthday sentiments, and I would love to have a few more! As I don't own any physical Uniko image stamps (yet!!) I used one of the digi images which Bev has kindly made available to enter this challenge.

I created a smoosh background on a  piece of card with Distress Oxide inks, then printed off my digi image twice and smooshed one of the images in the same colours. I fussy cut the inked flower head and adhered it on top of the plain image, after I had spattered it with some droplets of watered down DO and coloured the flower stems with Promarkers. I cut my smooshed panel with a deckle edge blade then adhered to my card base and popped up my flower image panel on foam tape. I stamped my Uniko sentiment words direct onto the card base, added a few sparkly gems and I was done.

Stamps: Uniko - Spring Botanicals (digi), Birthday Sentiments;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Spun Sugar, Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry, Shaded Lilac, Twisted Citron); Promarkers;

Gems from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Crafty Catz #582 - Anything Goes

Creations In Pink #42 - Anything Goes in Mainly Pink

Di's Digi Challenge - Use Red and/or Pink

Happy Little Stampers: CAS (February) - Inky

Happy Little Stampers: Watercolour (February) - Anything Goes

Incy Wincy (February) - Mostly Red or Pink

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2206 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Pearly Sparkles #70 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Seize the Birthday #231 - Sparkle and Shine

Uniko - 10th Birthday Celebration

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Fairy Dandelions

Hi everyone,

Just a quick and simple card from me today as I continue with my batch of one layer notelets.

My most recent order from Lavinia included the gorgeous Fairy Dandelions, as dandelion clocks are one of my favourite images.  I created a simple blended ink background by masking my card, then did some soft stencilling on top. I stamped my flowers and sentiment, and highlighted the fluffy flower tips with Sakura stardust pen ... as usual the camera doesn't pick that up very well, so here is an angled picture.

Stamps: Lavinia Fairy Dandelions, Mini Seed head; sentiment - unknown;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Shaded Lilac, Villainous Potion); Sakura gelly roll Stardust pen;

Tools: Art Deco stencil from The Range

As with all my batch notelets I also stamped the envelope to match.

Challenges I would like to enter:

AAA Cards #208 - Black, White + 1

A Gem of a Challenge #3 2022 - Anything Goes

Crafter's Cafe #281 - CAS (5th entry) - TOP 3

Crafty Calendar (February) - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2206 - Anything Goes

Pearly Sparkles #70 - Anything Goes

Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything Feminine including Flowers

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

We Love Stamping (February) - Anything Stamped with option of Stencilling

Take care and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #662

Good morning everyone,

It's Saturday so it's time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. This week It’s Wendy’s turn to host the challenge, and she has chosen the theme

Anything Goes with option of Red Flowers

Perhaps you may want to take the opportunity to get ahead with a Valentine's card, or we would love to see your makes for any other occasion.

This week’s fab prize has been kindly donated by Craft Stash 

and is this gorgeous co-ordinating stamp set and paper pad

Here's my card for this week.

As soon as I saw this challenge theme, the first thing that came into my mind rather than romance and roses was Christmas and poinsettias. This idea really took hold when I won two fabulous stamp sets in Di's Pixie's Snippets Playground Christmas Grand Prize Draw - "Fabulous Festive Fashion" and "Fabulous Festive Footwear". These stamps truly are "fabulous dahling", so I decided to take this theme in a different direction, and made my first Christmas card of 2022.

I stamped my Christmas shoe on to a square of card, and coloured with my Promarkers. I added a couple of small holly swirls, and stamped my sentiment directly onto the card panel. I then matted and layered everything with my papers, added a die cut glittery poinsettia and holly flourishes attached with a sparkly brad. I applied holographic glitter to the shoe's "fur" and some heart gems to finish. The glittery poinsettia is actually a brighter red than the picture shows… I just couldn’t capture this no matter how I tried!!

Here's an angled picture attempting to capture the sparkle (I do love a bit of sparkle!!)

These stamps are really funky and a bit different from what I normally buy, so I was really thrilled to win them and have the opportunity to make something in a different style. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, so many thanks to Di for her fantastic efforts on the draw.

Stamps: Katy Sue Designs "Fabulous Festive Footwear" (shoe and sentiment), "Fabulous Festive Fashion" (holly swirl);

Media: Promarkers, holographic glitter;

Papers: LotV

Tools: large, medium and small poinsettia dies - Marianne Design Creatables LR0122 and LR0142; Cheery Lynn Designs - Holly Flourish;

Gems and brad from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

ABC Christmas Challenge - A is for Anything Christmas

Addicted to Stamps and More #422 - Christmas

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge #5 2022 - Anything Goes with Colouring

Country View Challenges (February) - Hearts AND Flowers

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper (February) - Anything Goes with Paper

Creative Knockouts #438 - Lots of Layers

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday (February) - Hearts or Flowers

Penny's Challenge #514 - Anything Goes Using Paper

Sheepski Designs #59 - Use Some Red

The Holly and Ivy #108 - Anything Christmas Goes

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting, and hope you have a great weekend.

Hugs,