Good Things Come to Those Who Wait!

Hi everyone, regular visitors to my blog may recall that three weeks ago I went to a craft club where I made a couple of cards using Tracy Evans’ stamps (here). One of the stamps I didn’t have so I borrowed it from Jacqui who was leading the class, and I loved it so much I just had to have it! 

Unfortunately it is one of Tracy’s retired designs for AALL & Create and I could only find it in stock on 2 UK websites, so I ordered it from Hixxysoft  (who I had never used before) - and what a performance that turned out to be! Their order confirmation email estimated delivery within 1-2 days, but a week later nothing had arrived … that’s when I discovered their website contact form doesn’t work, and emails, phone calls and FB Messenger messages go unanswered … and a whole host of disgruntled users on Trustpilot report similar issues! Then I got a dispatch email with another delivery date 1-2 ahead (no explanation or apology!) … but another week went by and still no delivery. After more unanswered emails/phone calls/FB messages, I eventually gave up hope and raised a dispute with my credit card provider … and the next day it dropped through the letterbox!! Nearly 3 weeks late … but all’s well that ends well! Needless to say I will NOT be ordering from them again - I believe they are closing down, but that’s still no excuse for such appalling customer service! 

 Anyway, having finally got my hands on the goods I couldn’t wait to get busy, and I made a card for Tracy’s current FB challenge which is to show support for a member whose sister is going through testing medical treatment:

Black & White with a pop of Purple

Here it is …

I cut a piece of white card 6” x 4”, and stamped and heat embossed the focal image. I then masked the stopwatches, and created a smooshed background by applying Graphite Elements ink to a piece of acetate, spritzing with water then dabbing onto the card. I stamped the image again onto a separate snippet of card, coloured the largest butterfly with Zig pens topped with Spectrum Noir sparkle pen, fussy cut and set aside. I coloured the small butterflies on the base image with different shades of purple Zig pens + sparkle pen, added some background barcode stamping, added some white Posca accents to the image, then matted the panel onto a black and purple border and a 7” x 5” card blank. I stamped my sentiment words onto a snippet of card smooshed with purple inks (left over from a previous card), cut out, edged with black and attached. I applied Glossy Accents to the stopwatches, and when dry attached the coloured butterfly and bent its wings for dimension. I finished off with some faux white Posca spatter, a couple of little stamped birdies and some torn washi tape.

One thing I have noticed is that my Glossy Accents seems to have developed a yellow brown tinge, even though it’s a fairly new bottle. Can anyone advise me if this is normal?? It goes on with this tinge and then mostly clears as it dries, but on this particular card there is still a hint of colour on the top right clock. As this is a vintage style card it doesn’t really matter, but I wonder if anyone else has experienced the same thing? 

Stamps: AALL & Create #733 Temporal, #533 Bring On the Sentiments; Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE30 Garden Elements;

Media: Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Lavinia Elements inks (Graphite, Violet Chalk, Della Blue); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white); clear embossing powder; Glossy Accents;

Other: AALL & Create washi tape #33 Be a Rebel.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Creative Artiste #116 - Anything Mixed Media Goes - TOP 3

Dragonfly Dreams (June) - Use One or More Butterflies

Outlawz Festive Fridays (June) - Bugs/Butterflies

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2523 - Anything Goes

Paper Funday #77 - Anything Goes with option Embossing (Heat or Dry)

Simon Says (Monday) - Monochrome

Snippets Playground #508 - Use Snippets

(Everything on this card is a snippet apart from the base card)

Tracy Evans FB Challenge (June) - Black & White with a Pop of Purple

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

Word Art Wednesday #702/703 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Starter For Ten

Hi everyone, today I’d like to share a simple card using some new supplies I got with the latest Indigo Blu Mixed Media kit crafting magazine - I don’t normally buy craft magazines but I just fancied this one for a change. I also made this card relatively simple as I had the idea of entering it into a “speed” challenge - to make a card (excluding time to plan and gather supplies to hand) in 10 minutes or less … sadly that didn’t quite work out as not only could I not manage to complete it in less than 10 minutes despite forensic planning and gathering of supplies beforehand, but also I discovered the said challenge does not allow entry with many other challenges - never mind! Here’s the result anyway.

I die cut a stitched square of white card, a silver mirror card test tube outline, pink glitter card flowers, green glitter card leaf spray and a shadow sentiment - all from a variety of snippets. I blended  Charted Mariner and Kitsch Flamingo distress Oxides through the Indigo Blu stencil on the left hand side of the stitched square, then stuck down my test tube die cut. I coloured inside the die cut with blue Wink of Stella and clear Spectrum Noir sparkle pens, then trimmed and stuck down my die cut flowers and leaves. I glued together my shadow sentiment die cuts and attached, blended more pink DOX round the edges, then attached to a card blank.

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxides inks (Charted Mariner, Kitsch Flamingo); Wink of Stella (blue); Spectrum noir sparkle pen (pink);

Tools: Hunky Dory Moonstone Duo- Stitched Squares die; Indigo Blu test tube and flower dies (part of magazine kit); Indigo Blu script stencil (same kit); Simon Says Stamp - Script Thanks die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #494 - Any Occasion

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

A Cut Above (June) - Anything Goes with a Die Cut

Fab ‘n’ Funky #618 - Use Your Die Cuts

Just Us Girls #778 - Die Week

Love to Craft #86 - Anything Goes

Love to Scrap #175 - Anything Goes

NBUS #75 - Use Your Never-Before-Used Schtuff

(Test tube and floral dies, script stencil)

Snippets Playground #507 - Use Snippets

(Everything apart from the card blank is a snippet)

Word Art Wednesday #702/703 - Anything Goes

That’s all from me for today. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

June Is Bustin’ Out All Over!

Hi everyone. As regular visitors to my blog will know, I have been decorating a 2025 Lavinia calendar. I started back in October last year, creating the pages out of order as the mood took me, and by the end of the year I had only completed 5 pages! Since then I have been completing the pages as and when, but today was the first time I arrived at the start of a month with the page not yet done … so I had to sit down this afternoon and get a wriggle on! The illustration for June is of Bumble and Hum, so I based my page around that … and here it is! 

Please excuse the poor picture - the direction of the late afternoon light is all wrong but I want to post today … maybe I’ll update the photo tomorrow!

I cut a piece of stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm and created a background by blending Elements inks with a brush. I then built up my floral scene, using a variety of colours of Versafine Clair and lots of masking when inking to enable me to stamp the flower heads and stems in different colours. I added Bumble and Hum hovering above, and coloured them with Sakura Stardust pens. I coloured the group poppies with Stardust pen and the tips of the Wild Summer Flowers with white Posca pen, and added white Posca highlights to the poppies and other flowers. I added some white heat embossed dandelions last so they would come to the fore, then stamped my sentiment and  added a couple of stamped dragonflies. Finally I edged the finished piece with blue marker pen and attached to my calendar page.

Here is an angled picture to show the sparkle.

Stamps: Lavinia Bumble and Hum, Wild Summer Flower, Garden Poppy, Group Poppies, Dandelions, Fairy Dandelions, Lavender, Field Grass, Fairy Bugs, Let Your Spirit Take Flight;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Blue Atoll, Green Parrot, Pine); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Strawberry, Lilac Bloom, Arctic,Shady Lane, Avocado, Blue Belle); Versamark; WOW Opaque superfine embossing powder; Sakura Stardust pens (yellow, orange, red, clear); Posca pen (white).

Challenges I would like to enter:

As You Like It - Favourite Type of Embossing (and why) - TOP 3

(I love heat embossing as it really makes images pop!)

Beautiful Blossoms #29 - Anything Floral Goes (4th entry)

Creative Inspirations (May) - The Great Outdoors (2nd entry) - TOP 3

DL.Art (June) - Anything Goes

Dream Valley #337 - Hand Coloured Image (2nd entry)

Ellibelle’s Garden Party #3 - Anything In or From a Garden (3rd entry)

Fab ‘n’ Funky #617 - Add a Sentiment (2nd entry)

FarmQuest General Store #28 - Anything Farm or Country Goes (2nd entry)

Krafty Chicks #770 - Anything Goes (2nd entry) - TOP PICK

Lavinia Creative Challenge (June) - Flower Festival

Outlawz Anything Goes In a Card Free Zone (May) - Anything but a Card - TOP PICK

Path of Positivity #131 - Anything Goes Positive (3rd entry)

{PIN}spirational #326 - Summer Sky - FAVOURITE

Simon Says (Monday) - Emboss It (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Sisterhood of Crafters - Flowers (3rd entry)

Try It On Tuesday - Things With Wings - TOP 5

Word Art Wednesday #700/701 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

I’ve only got 3 more months of the calendar to complete now (July, September and November) … though it probably won’t be long before the 2026 calendar is published! I think I’ll have to try to get a bit more organised with that one!

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

More Daisy Elegance - and a Classic Collection

Hi everyone, the craft club I attended recently (more info here) reminded me how much I love this stamp “Daisy Elegance” by Tracy Evans - until 2 weeks ago I had only inked it up once as it is a huge stamp, but the sample in the craft club demo only used part of the stamp, which is a genius idea I hadn’t considered previously! So I thought I’d use it again to make a final entry for Tracy’s current challenge The Colour Purple.

I cut a 6” x 4” piece of stamping card and created a smooshed background by layering Elements inks applied with acetate. When happy with the colour I stamped the focal flower, having masked off part of the stamp. I then stamped some additional script at the bottom from the same stamp, and coloured the flowers and vase with watered down Posca Sparkle Pens. I added a small branched heart and some background stamping using Very Peri, then added white Posca highlights to the flowers and vase, and Spectrum Noir sparkle pen to the water in the vase. I added some white Posca spatters, then stamped the sentiment onto separate card, cut out and attached. Finally I fussy cut a washi tape butterfly to add to the corner, matted the finished piece onto black and purple card stock, and a 7” x 5” card blank, and added Glossy Accents to the flower centres.

This is a very sparkly card, as they go!

Stamps: AALL & Create #266 Daisy Elegance; Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE6 Branched Heart; Lou Collins Typography (sentiment);

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Violet Chalk, Della Blue, Flying Fig); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Very Peri); Posca Sparkle Pens (Purple, Light Blue, Blue); Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white); Glossy Accents;

Other: AALL & Create washi tape #41 - Kaleidoscopic.

Challenges I would like to enter:

613 Avenue Create (May) - Anything Goes with option Floral Delight (4th entry)

AAA Birthday #73 - Anything Birthday Goes (3rd entry)

Addicted to Stamps & More #493 - Birthdays

Ally’s Angels #94 - Anything Goes

Beautiful Blossoms #29 - Anything Floral Goes (3rd entry)

Cardz 4 Galz #251 - Floral Frenzy

Creatalicious #289 - Anything Goes

Dream Valley #337 - Hand Coloured Image

Fab ‘n’ Funky #617 - Add a Sentiment 

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #5 2025 - Birthday (4th entry)

Inkspirational #342 - Celebrate

Krafty Chicks #770 - Anything Goes

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

Sisterhood of Crafters - Flowers (2nd entry)

Tracy Evans FB Challenge (April/May) - The Colour Purple (4th entry)

Word Art Wednesday #700/701 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

I think I truly am all purpled out now! 💜💜

In my previous post I mentioned how I went on a walk with an alpaca last bank holiday weekend 🥰… but that was not all! On the way home from that delightful experience we happened by chance across a huge classic car fair at the beautiful Cromford Mills. There really was an incredibly variety of vehicles … here’s a selection.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Love, Dream, Live 💛🤎

Hi everyone, this month’s Country View Crafts FB challenge is Aged, Distressed and More… so I made a vintage style card using mostly products stored by the CVC store. Here it is.

I cut a 5” square of stamping card and created a smooshed background using a combination of Elements and Distress inks. I stamped the focal flower using Portobello VFC then stamped again onto separate white card, heat embossed and set aside. I added background stencilling using Scorched Timber DOX and a little background script stamping which I heat embossed white. I coloured the separate flower with Distress watercolour pencils and Wink of Stella, then die cut with the matching die. I edged the panel with blended DOX then distressed the edges with my distressing tool, and added some gold Posca spatters. When dry I matted the main panel onto brown then white card stock which also had the edges distressed, and onto a kraft card blank. I attached the die cut flower with scrunched thread behind it, and finally added a sentiment.

Here’s an angled picture to show the gold spatters.

Stamps: Sizzix and 49 and Market stamp & die set - Floral Mix Cluster; Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE11 Background Elements; sentiment - unknown;

Media: Lavinia Elements ink (Soft Cygnet); Tim Holtz Distress inks (Tea Dye, Vintage Photo); Distress Oxide ink (Scorched Timber); Versafine Clair (Portobello); Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor pencils (Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw); Versamark; WOW Opaque white detail embossing powder; clear embossing powder; Wink of Stella (gold); Posca pen (white, gold);

Tools: Tim Holtz distressing tool.

Challenges I would like to enter:

613 Avenue Create (May) - Anything Goes with option Floral Delight (3rd entry)

Beautiful Blossoms #29 - Anything Floral Goes (2nd entry)

Country View Crafts FB (May) - Aged, Distressed and More …

A Cut Above (May) - Anything Goes with a Die Cut (2nd entry)

Die Cut Divas (May) - Watercolour (2nd entry)

Just Us Girls #776 - Use a Stencil

Let’s Craft and Create #219 - Anything Goes with option No Patterned Paper (3rd entry) - TOP 3

My Time to Craft #560 - Square Shaped Cards (3rd entry)

Path of Positivity #131 - Anything Goes Positive (2nd entry) - TOP PICK

Shopping Our Stash #548 - By the Numbers

Simon Says (Monday) - Emboss It - WINNER

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Sparkles #188 - Flowers - SPOTLIGHT WINNER

We Love 2 Create #5 2025 - Anything Papercrafting/Mixed Media Goes  (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #700/701 - Anything Goes (2nd entry) - TOP 3

We were in Derbyshire last weekend, and I got to use a birthday present my husband bought me … a walk with an alpaca! It really was the most heartwarming experience - our group walked with young alpacas which really were beyond adorable. We also fed them carrots, and at the end got to meet and feed the rest of the adult alpacas. Here are a few pics and a video - please excuse the poor quality but my husband had to compress it to send it to me from his phone. It is exceptionally cute though!

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye #26 🦋

Hi everyone, it’s the third Wednesday in the month again, which means that it’s time for another I Spy With My Little Eye... challenge over at Ellibelle's Corner.  Thanks so much to everyone who joined in last time - please do check over on Ellie’s blog to see if you are one of our top picks. 

Ellie chose the challenge theme this month, and it is

I Spy With My Little Eye 

*** At Least One Butterfly ***

A lovely theme as we move towards summer - can’t wait to see what you make! 

Please don’t forget to pop over to Ellie's blog to see her fab creation and link up your entries here. 

This month we are also delighted to again welcome two guest designers - Helen and  Silke - so please click on their names to visit their blogs and see their fabulous creations.

Here’s my card for the challenge. This was a relatively simple card but it still took me about half a dozen attempts before I was even vaguely happy with the background!

I die cut a stitched square of stamping card, and added colour by dragging three different pink and yellow Distress Oxide ink pads lightly across the surface. I embossed the coloured panel with a floral embossing folder, then lightly rubbed copper gilding polish across the raised areas. I die cut a stitched circle of white pearlescent card, stamped the greeting and heat embossed with detail copper EP., and attached to the embossed panel. I then die cut and embossed two large butterflies using rose gold metallic card, attached and bent up their wings for dimension. I attached the panel to a card blank and finished off with a few teeny heart gems.

Stamps: Woodware Happy Anniversary;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Spun Sugar, Kitsch Flamingo); Cosmic Shimmer Copper gilding polish; Versamark; detail copper embossing powder;

Tools: Hunky Dory Moonstone Duo-Stitched Square and Circle dies; Embossalicious embossing folder; Provocraft Butterflies Cut ‘n’ Emboss folder.

Challenges I would like to enter:

2 Sisters On the Blog #97 - Wedding/Anniversary

613 Avenue Create (May) - Anything Goes with option Floral Delight (3rd entry)

A Cut Above (May) - Anything Goes With a Die Cut

Can You Handle the Pressure - Use an Embossing Folder - TOP 3

Cardz 4 Galz #250 - Things With Wings (2nd entry)

C.R.A.F.T. #755 - Anything Goes (2nd entry) 

Crafty Catz #694 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Creative Crafters #88 - Anything Goes

Do Al(l) Kreatives #101 - Anything Goes with option Flowers (3rd entry)

Double Trouble #191 (7th Anniversary Event) - Anniversary (yellow ticket) (2nd entry) 

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #5 2025 - Anniversaries (3rd entry)

My Time To Craft #560 - Square Shaped Cards (2nd entry) 

Neglected Stuff (May) - Use One or More Neglected Supplies (2nd entry)

(My Cut ‘n’ Emboss Butterflies and gilding paste were both sadly neglected)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Things With Wings (2nd entry) 

Triple B (May) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #700/701 - Anything Goes

The I Spy Challenge will end on the Sunday before the next challenge starts at 23:59 US Central Time - so this time that is Sunday June 15th, and the next challenge will begin on Wednesday June 18th.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Craft Club

Hi everyone, yesterday I had a great day out at a craft club which takes place monthly in Warrington, about 15 miles from where I live. I found out about it from Tracy Evans’ FB group, as this month Jacqui, one of the members, was due to demo (with permission) some cards based on design inspiration and techniques from Tracy’s videos. All attendees were provided with a small pack of pre-cut stamping card, card blanks and a list of preferred materials to make something similar to the demos. As I have quite a few Tracy stamps and loved the “look” of the sample cards I thought I’d give it a go … and here’s what I made.

 Both cards used the same colours and similar techniques, but with different stamps. First of all I created a smooshed background by layering Distress Oxide inks dabbed onto acetate and spritzed with water: I’m completely familiar with this technique but had never considered this colour combo before. The demo instructions suggested using Vintage Photo, Hickory Smoke and a touch of Black Soot - I also added in a little Frayed Burlap for added gradation of shading.  

I then stamped the focal stamps using VFC Nocturne - for the floral card I masked part of what is a very large stamp; and for the second card Jacqui very kindly allowed me to borrow her stamp which I love so much I now need to buy it! Parts of the stamped images (vase and some clock faces) were then coloured with watered down Distress Oxides, and the flowers and a couple of clock faces were painted with white acrylic paint. Again this is something I hadn’t previously considered, but it really makes the images pop against the dark background. I kept the designs very similar to the demo samples, just adding a couple of little personal touches. Primarily these were extra text stamping and a little stencilling on the floral card, adding a second fussy cut and coloured butterfly to add dimension, white Posca pen accents, adding sparkle to the butterfly and flowers, and Glossy Accents on the vase which I did when I got home so I wouldn’t smudge it! I also didn’t add sentiments as I will decide on them as required.

Here are a couple of angled pictures.

Stamps: AALL & Create #266 Daisy Elegance, #733 Temporal, TE32 Alpha Florals;

Media: TimmHoltz Distress Oxides inks (Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot); Versafine Clair (Nocturne);  acrylic paint (white); Posca pen (white); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Glossy Accents;

Tools: Darkroom Door stencil - Diamonds.

As these designs are so closely based on Jacqui’s samples I won’t be entering them into any challenges. I just wanted to share them as I was really thrilled with how they turned out - my painting with white acrylic paint definitely needs some practice but I will certainly be using this technique again to create cards with a grungy vintage look!

Overall I had a great day with a lovely group of crafty ladies. They are looking to expand their numbers for anyone who lives within striking distance of north Warrington. 

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,