Anyone for Bubbles?

Hi everyone, today I would like to share a card I made yesterday for a friend's "special birthday".  This was actually a bit of a rush job, as I knew this friend (who I don't see very often) was having a birthday at the end of the week but I only discovered by chance on Sunday that it is a "special" one ... and that she will be away on holiday so I needed to get a card made and in the post yesterday! Even so, knowing the current woeful state of postal deliveries there is no guarantee that it will arrive before she goes, but at least the thought was there!

This gave the perfect excuse to break out the celebratory Visible Image stamp set "Anyone For Bubbles" that I selected as part of my winnings for the second anniversary VI ATC swap back in May, specifically to cater for occasions just such as this one!

I cut a 6.5" square of white stamping card, and stamped the champagne bottle in green then coloured the foil with watered down gold Posca pen and the label with Distress ink. I stamped the glass in grey and added the champagne using Distress Ink and coloured the glass with pale grey Distress Oxide. I then added stamped bubbles and spatters to the bottle and glass using 2nd generation grey stamping.  I stamped my main sentiment in Versamark and heat embossed in gold, then stencilled some "bubbles" here and there using Versamark and heat embossed with holographic embossing powder. I added die cut gold numbers and a further small sentiment in black, then added lots of sparkle by painting over the bottle and champagne in the glass with Spectrum  Noir sparkle pen, and applying holographic glitter to the spatters and bubbles using a Quickie glue pen. Finally I edged the panel with gold Posca pen and matted onto dark green card stock and a 7" square card blank. 

Here's a picture to capture the sparkle.

As this was a "special" card I also stamped on the envelope and inside the card.

Stamps: Visible Image Anyone For Bubbles, Birthday Wishes (inside card); Uniko Birthday Sentiments (gold embossed on card front);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress inks (Antique Linen, Tea Dye); Distress Oxide ink (Lost Shadow); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Rainforest, Morning Mist); Versamark; embossing powder (gold, holographic); Posca pen (metallic gold); Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen (clear); holographic glitter;

Tools: Provocraft "Hippie Chick" dies (numbers); stencil - Craft Sensations at the Range.

Challenges I would like to enter:

AAA Birthday #52 - Anything Birthday Goes

Crafty Addicts #3 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Crazy is our Fame, Stencils Are our Game (August) - Use a Stencil

Creative Moments #247 - Let it Shine (2nd entry)

Inkspirational #295 - Use Stencils

Love to Craft #75 - Anything Goes

Moving Along With the Times #157 - Embossing Wet or Dry

NBUS #53 - Use Your Never Before Used Schtuff

(mine is the champagne related stamps)

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

Word Art Wednesday #605/606 - Anything Goes (5th entry)

I may do a bit more crafting this afternoon, as the weather is just so dismal it does not encourage getting out and about! Take care and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Create With Passion(flower)

Hi everyone, I recently managed to acquire the much sought-after (by Tracy Evans fans) AALL & Create stamp set "The Great Outdoors" - a.k.a. the wellington boots - but hadn't really had any chance to play with it until this week. Also I needed some silicone glue for dimensional crafting, and had identified that Lavinia sell some so I picked up a tube when I visited the shop a couple of weeks ago.

This card is a bit of a mash up of various techniques and ideas from Tracy's videos, with adjustments to cater to the stamps I have in my stash. I don't really have many of Tracy's floral stamps which are suitable to place inside the wellies, but I remembered I have the Passion Flower set which I won quite a long time ago but have never used ... so now was the time!

I cut a piece of stamping card slightly smaller than a 7" x 5" card blank, and stamped the large leaf background in shades of green Versafine Clair towards the left of the card. I then extended the background with some more stamping in green and grey. I stamped the wellies onto separate card, coloured with watered down green Distress Oxides then fussy cut out and stamped some random text onto them in grey. I stamped the Passion Flower, coloured with Inktense pencils then fussy cut various portions to form three separate flower stems. I attached the wellies to the background with silicone dimensional glue then added the flower stems and two butterflies which I had stamped, coloured with Inktense pencils and sparkle pen, and fussy cut out. I stamped my sentiment onto separate card, cut out, edged and attached - I thought this was particularly appropriate given that I had used passionflowers 🥰. Lastly I ripped and attached a piece of washi tape to the top right corner, added some white Posca spatters, then matted the finished panel onto black card stock and a card blank. This is definitely a “more is more” creation! 🥰

Stamps: AALL & Create #449 Through the Meadows (background leaf), #370 The Great Outdoors (wellingtons), #278 Passion Flower, #909 Garden Notes (art background text), #304 Heartfelt (grey background stamping), #906 Art notes (stamping on wellingtons), #753 Delight In Flora (butterflies), #533 Bring on the Sentiments;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Bundled Sage, Iced Spruce); Derwent Inktense pencils; Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Verdant, Shady Lane); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white);

Other: AALL & Create washi tape #44 - Around.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Ally’s Angels #72 - Anything Goes - WINNER

Beautiful Blossoms #7 - Anything Floral Goes (3rd entry)

Butterfly Challenge #185 - Butterfly plus Flowers (2nd entry)

Let’s Craft and Create #197 - Anything Goes with option Add Flowers (3rd entry)

Paper Dragonfly #19 - Nature - TOP 3

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations (July) - Summer Flowers (3rd entry)

Triple B (July) - Blooms, Birds and/or Butterflies (2nd entry)

We Love 2 Create #6 - Anything Mixed Media Goes (3rd entry)

We Love Stamping (July) - Fabulous Florals (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #605/606 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

I'm actually quite thrilled with how this card turned out - it was very time consuming and fiddly but in my mind was worth the effort. I will also be entering it into Tracy Evans' current FB challenge "heartfelt" as there is no specification as to the size of the heart(s) that must be included, and you can just about make out the teeny hearts on this one if you look closely!

 Until next time, take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Forest Flower

Hi everyone, today I would like to share the first card I made with a stamp from the latest Lavinia release which I bought on my recent visit to the shop … I absolutely love this mystical forest flower - it is one of my new favourites so I am entering this card into the monthly Lavinia Creative Challenge. I have also bought one of the new owl stamps, but I’m working up to that one while I decide what medium I will use to colour it!! 

The general look of this card was inspired by a card and tags I saw made by a lady in the Lavinia fans FB group, though as usual I changed it up a bit with different colouring of the flowers, different foliage and the addition of white orbs and green sparkle!

I created my background by blending 2 colours of Elements inks onto a square of stamping card, spritzing with water and dabbing with paper towel. I stamped the Forest Flowers and coloured them with Inktense pencils, then highlighted with Spectrum Noir sparkle pen and white gel pen.  I masked a couple of the flowers and added some second generation background text stamping, then stamped some foliage in 2 shades of green. I added some light orbs using a Lavinia stencil and blending Brilliance white ink plus a dot of Posca pen. I finished with some white Posca dots rising from the flowers plus dots of green Stickles glitter, then edged with black and matted onto a 6” square card blank. I’ve left it without a sentiment for now as I quite like it as it is!

This card is incredibly sparkly when the sunlight catches it, but very difficult to photograph - here is an angled picture to show a bit of the sparkle.

Stamps: Lavinia Forest Flower, Leaf Creeper, Faerie Spells;

 Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Violet Chalk, Lime Punch); Derwent Inktense Pencils; Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Verdant, Shady Lane); Brilliance pigment ink (Moonlight white); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white); gel pen (white); Stickles (green);

Tools: Lavinia White Orbs stencil.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #7 - Anything Floral Goes (2nd entry)

Crafts Galore Encore #113 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Creatalicious #263 - Anything Goes with option Bokeh Technique - TOP 3

Creative Crafters #66 - Anything Goes

Creative Moments #247 - Let It Shine (2nd entry)

Lavinia Creative Challenge (July) - Favourite Lavinia Stamp (4th entry)

Let’s Craft and Create #197 - Anything Goes with option Add Flowers (2nd entry)

NBUS #52 - Use your Never Before Used Schtuff

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2328 - Anything Goes (2nd entry) - WINNER

Word Art Wednesday #605/606 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Hope everyone is having a good weekend … take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Christmas in July

Hi everyone, I was just looking at my blog this morning when I realised that I hadn't submitted my homework for this fortnight's Snippets Playground challenge - nay, I hadn't even completed it, so detention loomed!!  I know I have been on holiday for a week as per my pictures in previous post here, but that's no excuse - particularly in term time!! 

This fortnight's theme is Christmas In July, which when combined with snippets immediately suggested to me baubles and a fern branch die cut from some of the many snippets of glitter card I've got  stored in a box!  I assembled an assortment of snippets to choose from as per picture, and off I went.

Here's the result.

I die cut two baubles and two fir boughs from snippets of glitter card and attached to a die cut stitched square of white card stock where I had already sponged the edges with Elements ink and stamped a sentiment. I then matted the finished panel directly onto a card blank - job done! 

Although this may look like a very simple card, it seemed to take me ages to find everything and then ages more while I faffed about with placement of the die cuts. After all that I am throwing myself through the rapidly closing Playground gates before they clang shut - detention swerved! Phew, I think I need a cocktail in the Treehouse now to recover!

Stamps: Uniko - Christmas Wishes;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Violet Chalk); Versafine Clair (Nocturne);

Tools: Marianne Creatable dies - LR0181 (Fir bough), LR0183 (pink bauble), LR0184 (purple bauble); Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched Square dies.

Challenges I would like to enter: 

ABC Christmas (July) - O is for Ornaments

Craft Rocket #105 - Christmas In July

Crafter's Cafe #299 - Christmas In July

Creative Knockouts #499 - Christmas In July

Double D - Christmas in July

Double Trouble #143 - Christmas in July

Dragonfly Dreams (July) - Christmas

Get Creative #123 - Christmas In July

Snippets Playground #458 - Christmas In July - WINNER

Sparkles #166 - Christmas In July

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

Hugs,

Mooching around …

Hi everyone, yesterday was my first opportunity to craft for almost two weeks, as last week we were on holiday in Anglesey. We had a lovely time staying in an apartment in a village called Benllech on Anglesey’s northeastern coast, and managed to do quite a bit of walking and sightseeing plus meals in some fab local restaurants. An added bonus was that we travelled to Anglesey on one of the Lavinia Fairy Craft Festival Open Days… and my husband kindly agreed to take a detour so I could visit the shop on the way 😀 Two and a half hours, a couple of fab Jo Rice and Amanda Branston demos, and a spending spree later, we were on our way again and I was certainly in the holiday mood 🥰

I bought a small selection of the new stamps and some Elements inks and have already made my first card with them (to be shared later), but my first share is made with the gorgeous cat Mooch which I also bought during my visit, paired with some other Lavinia stamps and stencil I already owned to make a summery birthday card, with some elements inspired by this week’s Allsorts summer mood board. 

I cut a square of white stamping card and stamped Mooch in one corner. I added some soft pink brick stencilling using Distress Ink, then stamped honeysuckle, butterfly and bees which I coloured with Posca sparkle pens and Sakura Stardust pen on the bee wings. I grounded Mooch using a hill mask and grey Distress Oxide ink, then added some spatters with my Posca sparkle pens. Finally I stamped a sentiment onto separate card, edged with black and attached, then edged the finished piece with black marker and matted onto the card blank.

The honeysuckle, butterfly and bees are very shimmery … here’s an angled pic to show that a bit better.

Stamps: Lavinia Mooch, Honeysuckle, Mini Flutter, Bee Mini; sentiment -  Visible Image Sunflower Grunge;

Media: Posca Sparkle Pens (pink, red, orange, green); Sakura Stardust pens (yellow, clear); Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Spun Sugar); Distress Oxide ink (Hickory Smoke); Versamark Clair (Nocturne);

Tools: Lavinia stencils - Red Brick and Hill Masks

Challenges I would like to enter:

Allsorts #737 - Summer Mood Board

(I was inspired by the pink flowers and orange butterfly)

Beautiful Blossoms #7 - Anything Floral Goes

Butterfly Challenge #85 - Butterfly plus Flowers - TOP 3
Country View Challenges (July) - Four Legged Friends

Crafty Animals #74 - Use an Animal

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (July) - Use a Stencil with option Birthdays

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2328 - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Four Legged Friends

Triple B (July) - Blooms, Birds and/or Butterflies

Word Art Wednesday #605/606 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Here are some photos of our Anglesey holiday ..

Benllech Beach

Beaumaris Castle

Menai Bridge

Plas Newydd house and gardens

Longest placename in Europe!

South Stack Lighthouse

Llanddwyn Island and beach

Caernarfon Castle

Conwy

Fab meals out!

… and a fab meal in - fresh mackerel caught by Graham’s own fair hand!

… and just to prove I was there … the magical Lavinia shop 🥰

Phew! Back to normality now … hoping to catch up with some crafting and to be back soon with some more makes with my new stash! Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

On reflection ...

A few weeks ago I saw a Lavinia tutorial by Amanda Branston where she made  a reflection tree scene, and it inspired me to  make my own magical reflection scene which I have only attempted once or twice before. I didn’t have the Elements inks Amanda used so I had a go with my Distress Inks in a different colour scheme, and I did try brayering my background as per Amanda's video but I couldn't seem to make that work and ended up with a lot of harsh edges ... so I ended up blending my inks with blending brushes. Here is the result.

I blended Distress inks onto a piece of white stamping card slightly smaller than C5, then used the straight edge of a hill mask and black Versafine Clair to blend a horizon line. I stamped a variety of trees, doing the reflections first by stamping onto my gel press, then stamping the matching tree above. I used a circle mask and Distress oxide to create a misty sun both in the sky and reflected in the water, and added some wispy clouds across the sun by blending more DOX using a torn paper mask, then stamped some birds. I used a water brush to create lines in the water where the ink was bleached out, then added to my scene by stamping the fairy Olivia, grass, foliage and Pipin in the bottom corner. I highlighted everything liberally with Sakura Stardust pen, and coloured the fairy wings with a pink Stardust pen, then stamped a sentiment before matting simply onto black card stock and a C5 card blank. The card is very sparkly, but sadly my photo was taken on a dull day which doesn’t really capture it. 

Stamps: Lavinia Olivia Small, Forest Scene, Trees, Tree Scene, Fairy Bells, Silhouette Foliage Set, Silhouette Grass, Pipin, Birds, Josie (falling dandelion clocks), Let your Spirit Take Flight;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans); Distress Oxide inks (Spun Sugar, Kitsch Flamingo, Stormy Sky); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Sakura Stardust pens (pink, clear);

Tools: Lavinia hill and circle masks, gel press.

Challenges I would like to enter:

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

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Shimmer and Shine

Time Out #242 - Inspired By Words 

We Love 2 Create #6 - Anything Mixed Media Goes (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Word Art Wednesday #603/604 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

I really do love these mystical water scenes and am pretty pleased with how this one turned out. That's all from me for today - take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Sending Sunshine

Hi everyone, this month's ATC swap theme in the Visible Image FB group is "Holiday Season", and as usual participants need to make an ATC (and most make a co-ordinating card) using only VI stamps, stencils and dies. I have to confess that I really struggled with this theme even though the swap intro made it clear that we could think fairly laterally ... the only suitable thing I could come up with was around the theme of sunshine ... so here they are.

Firstly the ATC ...

I cut a piece of white stamping card 3.25" x 2.25" and created a smooshed background with blue Distress Ink, then stencilled on top with yellow Distress Oxide and the VI "Strobes" stencil to give an impression of sunrays. I stamped the small sunflower from the "Sunflower Grunge" set onto separate card and coloured with Distress Watercolor Pencils then fussy cut out. I stamped some black spatters and a little 2nd generation script before attaching the sunflower, and stamped the working in black. I added white gel pen dots to the centre of the sunflower and Glossy Accents. Finally I edged the finished panel with black marker pen and matted onto blue pearlescent linen card stock. 

Stamps: Visible Image Sunflower Grunge (flower and spatters), Golden Daffodils (text), Sketched Tulips (background script);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils (Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Warm Breeze); gel pen (white), Glossy Accents;

Tools: Visible Image stencil - Strobes.

Challenges I would like to enter:

ATC's Around the World #103 - Colourful - TOP 3

Classic Design Challenge #7 2023 - Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart #3 - Anything Goes (no cards) (2nd entry)

Crafts Galore Encore #113 - Anything Goes

Crafty Addicts #3 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers #258 - Anything Goes

Let's Craft and Create #197 - Anything Goes + Add Flowers

Love to Craft #75 - Anything Goes

Love to Scrap #162 - Anything Goes

We Love 2 Create #6 - Anything Mixed Media Goes

I then made the co-ordinating card.

This followed a similar construction to the ATC, except that I used the large flower from the Sunflower Grunge set, added background stencilling using the VI "Halftone" stencil, and stamped the sentiment in blue.

Stamps: Visible Image Sunflower Grunge (flower and spatters), Golden Daffodils (text), Sketched Tulips (background script);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils (Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo, Twisted Citron, Peeled Paint); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Warm Breeze, Paradise); gel pen (white), Glossy Accents;

Tools: Visible Image stencils - Strobes and Halftone.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #6 - Anything Floral Goes (5th entry)

Crafty Calendar (July) - Anything Goes

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (July) - Use a Stencil

Daisy Chain #76 - Summertime

Four Seasons (July) - Summer

Krafty Chicks #671 - Stamp Act

Stamping Sensations (July) - Summer Flowers (2nd entry)

Sweet Stamping - Blooming Beautiful

We Love Stamping (July) - Fabulous Florals (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #603/604 - Anything Goes

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Summertime Blues

Hi everyone, today I would like to share the outcome of a little inky playtime I had.  At the moment I am keen to explore some different colouring media, as I spent the last couple of years collecting Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks which I love but am finding to be less suitable for some techniques.  I have been wondering whether to increase my meagre collection of Distress Inks or whether to get some vibrant Lavinia Elements inks, so when I visited the Lavinia shop I bought a couple of Elements to try out. Sadly I have hardly used them as I didn’t want to mix die and pigment inks on my blending brushes, but I have recently bought an additional set of brushes so I thought I would have a play … here’s the result.

I cut a 6” square of stamping card and used a large circle mask to blend a background with Elements inks, which I spattered with water droplets. I then created and used a paper mask of the same size circle to stamp a summer meadow scene using various Lavinia stamps and a mixture of first/second generation stamping in different shades of Versafine Clair. I highlighted the flower heads and butterfly with Sakura Stardust pens and a white gel pen, and die cut my panel using a stitched square die, then blended some more Elements around the edges. I stamped a sentiment in blue and added a sparkly blue die cut flower and foliage before matting the panel directly onto my card blank.

Here is an angled pic to show (not very successfully) the sparkle.

Stamps: Lavinia Wild Summer Flower, Group Poppies, Dandelions, Field Grass, Fairy Bugs, Bird Collection; Visible Image Birthday Wishes;

Media: Lavinia Elements Inks (Della Blue, Bermuda); Versafine Clair (Twilight, Medieval Blue, Warm Breeze, Shady Lane, Nocturne); Sakura Stardust pens (blue, turquoise, clear); gel pen (white);

Tools: Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched Square dies, unbranded flower and foliage dies (Amazon); Press to Impress circle stencil.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Allsorts #735 - Anything Goes with option Summertime

Beautiful Blossoms #6 - Anything Floral Goes (4th entry)

Dream Valley #297 - Use Dies or Punches - WINNER

Kraftin’ Kimmie July Saturday Challenge #670 - Ribbon/twine, Summer and/or Blue

Make My Monday #204 - Birthday

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2326 - Anything Goes

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

Stamping Sensations (July) - Anything Goes with option Summer Flowers

Try It OnTuesday - Summer Blooms (2nd entry)

We Love Stamping (July) - Anything Goes with option Fabulous Florals

Word Art Wednesday #601/602 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,