Happy New Year 2020

Hello there my wonderful Crafty Friends.

Well, here we are one again on the eve of a brand new year and decade.  It's a time to reflect on what's been and what is to come.  For me, the New year is like starting that first, clean, unspoiled page of a book.  It's a brand new start that's full of possibilities.  I hope that 2020 will bring us all good health, peace, joy and happiness xx

To end this year, I'd like to share a couple of cards with you that I'd forgotten about.  They are samples that I made for one of the Crafty Individuals shows:

The cat stamp is one of my favourites, I just love it's adorable face and how magnificent is that lion!

Thank you all for your continued crafty friendships and support.  I really appreciate each and every one of your comments and I look forward to visiting you all in 2020 to see more of your amazing creations.

Wishing you all a very colourful and happy 2020

xxxxxxx

Merry Christmas 2019

Hello there my Crafty Friends,

I'm sure that you'll all be busy today with your preparations for the big day tomorrow but just in case you stop by, I'd like to wish you all a 'Peaceful Christmas' and all the very best of everything in 2020.  I'd all so like to send some crafty love and a virtual hug to anyone who needs it as I know this time of year can be really tough for some x

Thank you all so much for your continued friendship and support over the last year, I really appreciate it.  

Merry Christmas 

xxx

Mid-Month Inspiration - December 2019

Hello there,

Are you all getting ready for the big day, not long now!  Well if you need a little time to unwind, then why not take an hour out for yourself  to get crafty and join us in this month's challenge.  I'm here today to offer you a little inspiration at 'Stamping Sensations' with this card that I've made:

The stamp that I've used is by Inkylicious and I've coloured it using various inks and paints.  The embossing folder is by John Lockwood and I've used liquid Pearls inside each snowflake.  I bought the embossing folder at the Harrogate show last month and I have to say that I've used it with so many different stamps and it really does create a lovely frame and they all look so different.  

That's all from me for now, so I'll wish you a happy and peaceful day x

Christmas Samples - December 2019

Hello there,

How's it all going?  Christmas is well on it's way now and I hope that your preparations are going well.  I would also like to send a virtual hug to anyone who's having a tough time right now and I hope you can find your peace x

Crafty Individuals had two shows on Hochanda last week and I'd like to share a few of my samples with you today:

All of these new stamps can now be found on the 'Crafty Individuals' website and they're on offer at the moment, so why not treat yourselves.  On the subject of Crafty Individuals, a very kind lady called Chris Frazer has set up a brand new  Face Book group for everyone to share their CI makes.  It's a private group, so only the people who belong to it will see your posts.  There's also inspiration from the Design Team and I know Jean Hardy would love you to join her and others in their love of CI stamps.  If you're interested, here's the link:    https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftyindividuals/

I'd like to add my second card into the following challenge:
Addicted To Stamps Challenge - Anything goes (Stamped)

That's all from me for today as I still have some handmade gifts that I need to make and a few more Christmas cards to write, so I wish you all a very happy weekend x

Anything Goes at Stamping Sensations

Hello there my lovelies,

Well, we are now into December, so let the festivities begin!  I made some mince pies and jam tarts last night as I have my family, including three Grandchildren coming over tomorrow to help put up my tree and decorations. The eldest is five and the youngest almost three, so it may be a very interesting day lol.  I'll let you know how it goes!

It's time for our final challenge of the year at Stamping Sensations and our theme this time is 'Anything Goes.'  I know that December is such a busy month for us all but there's so much scope with this theme, so why not join us.  Here's the card that I've made:

I've gone for a traditional theme myself.  I know that Robins can be seen all year round but they are associated with Christmas and I love them!  This little beauty is by Crafty Individuals and all other stamps are by Inkylicious, except for the sentiment which was a freebie from a craft show a couple of years back.  I've added some fluffy puffy stuff onto the log to add some dimension and also some glitter onto the snow, although this doesn't show too well on this photo.

We are very generously sponsored this month by: 

Be Creative 

who are kindly offering the lucky winner a £25 voucher to spend at their online store.

Now is you're a fan of Crafty Individuals stamps, you'll be very pleased to hear that the have two shows on Hochanda at 12pm and 4pm.  Lovely Lesley from Chocolate Baroque will be helping Jean with the demos and then Jean will be helping Lesley out on her Chocolate Baroque shows too, so it promises to be a great day of crafting fun.  Jean has some fabulous new Christmas stamps and hopefully, you might see some of my samples on there.  

That's all from me for now, so I'll wish you a happy and peaceful day x

I'd like to add this card into the following challenges:

That Artistic stamper - Christmas Is Coming
Try It On Tuesday - Inspired By A Song Or A Christmas Carol (Joy To The World)
Addicted To Stamps Challenge - Anything Goes

Mid Month Inspiration - November 19

Hello there,

I'm here today to provide you with some mid-month inspiration for our latest challenge over at Stamping Sensations.  Our theme is 'Traditional Christmas Colours' and I've opted to use green on my card.  It's a simple card this time as I've made quite a few of these this year and we all know just how time consuming making Christmas cards can be.  Here it is:

The trees and sentiment are by Inkylicious and the deer are by Crafty Individuals.  I've stamped the trees using VersaFine Clair (Shady Lane.)  

That's all from me for now, so I'll wish you a happy and peaceful day x

White On White

Hello there,

I hope that you're all keeping well and happy.

I've had a busy morning, catching up with some housework and I've made two Christmas cakes which are just starting to smell amazing.  It's made me think that I really need to start getting organised for Christmas as today is the first time this year that I've given it a thought and it will be here before I know it!

I'm here today to share a card that I've made for this week's challenge over at Allsorts, their theme is 'White on White.'  Now is not very often that I make a card without using inks, so this one is quite different from my usual style and I hope that you like it.

I went to the Stamperama show at Harrogate on Saturday.  It was a fabulous show with lots of stalls and a great atmosphere.  I was quite relieved really after the last show at Doncaster had been so much quieter than it usually is.  I had a lovely catch up with Jean and Malcolm from Crafty Individuals and also with the Inkylicious crew.  I also met and had a chat with the lovely Judith Smith who's the head of Chocolate Baroque's Design Team.  There were lots of fabulous demos going on and I really enjoyed watching John Lockwood using the new stamps by Two Jays which he'd demoed on Hochanda last week.  It's the first time I've met him and he's such a lovely chap. The samples on his stall were beautiful and I was tempted into buying the Cut and Emboss Snowflake border that I've used on today's card.  There were some beautiful samples made with it and I just couldn't resist.  Here's my card:

Some of you may have noticed that I also used this folder on yesterday's Remembrance card too.  I've just a put it on a white 6 x 6 card and used a snowflake die which I think is by Memory Box, but don't quote me on that.  I've used Ranger Liquid Pearls on each of the border's snowflakes.  It's a very simple card to make and you could easily make large batches of this in a very short time, which is exactly what we all need in the run up to Christmas.  I may be temped to add a gem to the center but I've left it off for now to fit in with the them of the challenge.

I think that's all for today.  It's been lovely to have a little more time to chat as I seem to always be in a rush these days.

Take care and I wish you lots of happy crafting x

We Will Remember Them

Traditional Christmas Colours

Hello there,

It's time for a new challenge over at Stamping Sensations and our theme this time is 'Traditional Christmas Colours.'  The colours are Red, Gold and Green and you can use any or all of them.  Here's the card that I've made:

The image that I've used is by Crafty Individuals and I've heat embossed it in gold before using various inks to water colours it with.  I've also added a couple of little red gems in the center of each flower.  I've used distress ink with a little glycerine in the background.  I find that this gives a nice, smooth finish and you don't need to use as much ink.

That's all from me for now, so I'll wish you a happy and peaceful day x

My Last Spooky Card For This Year

Hello there on this Friday morning,

It's almost the weekend and I hope that you've got some nice things planned.  I intend to make a start on my next lot of CI samples but before then, I thought I'd share another spooky card that I've made using an older CI stamp and a Visible Image stencil, here it is:

I created my background using Brushos and then I stencilled over to create the skull.  Next, I stamped the fabulous Crow stamp by Crafty Individuals (CI-500) and used a sentiment by Visible Image.  The tree, flying bird and barbed wire stamps are all by Craft Individuals (CI- 361) and I think that they work really well with the main focal stamp.  I don't celebrate Halloween in any way but I have really enjoyed creating something that I wouldn't usually make.  I think it's given me the chance to be quite creative and in an arty sense and I'm pleased with the result.

Take care and have a great weekend x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Try It On Tuesday - Witches/Wizards/Halloween
The Male Room - Halloween

A Little Bit Spooky

Hello there,

Just a quick post from me today as I'm playing catch up again, so apologies if I haven't had a chance to visit your blog yet.

I'm here today to share a couple of card using two new stamps from Crafty Individuals, both drawn by Maria Kitano:

I made my background using Brusho inks and VersaFine Claire Nocturn ink.  The stars were created by splattering with white acrylic paint.  I'm really happy with how this one turned out, especially the glow around the moon.

CI-528

CI-529

The background on this one was again made using my trusty Brushos, a CI background stamp, a Spider's Web stencil and black acrylic paint, which went everywhere!  The blood was made by adding a drop of water to some Adirondack ink to create the drips.  The sentiment is by Visible Image and I was really annoyed that I didn't stamp the first bit a little lower as it's quite difficult to read but hey ho, what's done is done!  I have to say that I'm not into Halloween at all but I do seem to enjoy making Gothic type cards.

Both of these fab stamps are on offer for a short time on the Crafty Individuals web site.

That's all from me for today, so I'll wish you a very happy, peaceful and relaxing Sunday x 

I'd like to enter my second card into the following challenges:

Try It On Tuesday - Whiches/Wizzards/Halloween

The Male Room - Halloween

Mid Month Inspiration - October 19

Hello there my crafty friends,

It's time for some mid month inspiration over at Stamping Sensations and here's the card that I've made:

The stamps that I've used are by Inkylicious and I created my background with Brushos.

Stamp Magic and a few more samples

Hello there my crafty friends,

I've been to Stamp Magic at Doncaster today and it was lovely to catch up with some of my crafty blogland friends, Sally and Lynne from Stamping Sensations and also lovely Kath from Allsorts.  I have to say that I was surprised as to how quiet the show was, both in terms of exhibitors and people attending.  I just hope that this isn't the beginning of the end of craft shows.  The craft shops have all gone, one by one and I hope that craft shows don't go the same way.  It's possible that it was just the weather as the rain was pouring down and driving conditions were horrible.  Anyway, all that said, I now have enough card to last me for a year and a few new stamps to keep me happy for a while, so I'm a happy bunny!

I'd like to share a few more of my latest samples for Crafty Individuals:

These new stamps are fabulous and quite different too.  I've really enjoyed working with them.  Jean mentioned on the Hochanda shows that the Designer, Ellie Mulligan is working on some Christmas designs, so I can't wait to see them.

That's all form me for today as I'm off to play with my new stamps.  Take care and I hope to be back with you soon x 

Lion King

Hello there on this beautiful sunny morning.

I'm here today to show you one of the samples that I made for Crafty Individuals latest shows on Hochanda.  Their latest stamps are fabulous and they were designed by a young lady called Ellie Mulligan.  The shows were a great success and I'm sure that we'll be seeing more of Ellie's work in the future.  Here's my card:

Now I have to say that I wasn't sure where this card was going when I stated, other than I was going to use the lion as the sun.  Once stamped, it reminded me of the 'Lion King' and so I then decided to add more animals and to use a stencil to create the sun's rays.  It was great to use the older stamps with the new and it just shows how well they can all work together.  I have to say that I was blown away by the samples that my teamies have created and they are all so very different.  Jean has quite a big Design Team but they all have their own individual style and it's always great to see what the come up with when the new stamps are released.

That's all from me for today and I wish you all a very happy and colourful day x

I'd like to add this card into the following challenges:

Try It On Tuesday - Animal Magic  

Trees, Leaves or Autumn

Hello there,

It's time for a new challenge over at Stamping Sensations and this time, our them is 'Trees, Leaves or Autumn,' so there's plenty of scope there to get your creative juices flowing.  Here's the card that I've made:

I have to say that I've had great fun creating this card.  No leaves on this one but plenty of trees and Autumnal colours too.  The stamps that I've used are by Visible Image, Crafty Individuals and Inkylicious.  I started by stamping the face and then using masking fluid on the eyes.  I then used a blending tool to add the colour then I stamped the various trees around the edge using VersaFine Clair Nocturn.  Finally, I added the sentiments to complete my card.  

That's all from me for now, so I'll wish you a happy and peaceful day x

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Hello there on this rainy, Sunday afternoon,

Well I have to say that I can't believe the difference between yesterday and today's weather.  Yesterday I was out walking and having a picnic in a local country park with my family and today I've been in my craft room as it's been raining for most of the day.  I think we've been quite lucky this year here in the UK as we've had plenty of sunshine, so no complaints from me.  The trees looked stunning yesterday and there's no doubt that Autumn is upon us.

I apologise for my lack of blogging of late.  Family life has been really busy and in other news, I start a new job next week.  I left my office job five years ago to look after my two young Grandchildren but now that my Daughter is at home again full time, I needed to look out for something else to keep me occupied.  I'll be working three days a week in a school office, so plenty to keep me busy.... wish me luck!

I've neglected my card challenges of late, so I'm here today with a card that I've made:

The background was made by sprinkling Brushos on my craft mat and then spritzing them with water before pressing my card into them.  This gives more of a smoother, inky effect than using them directly onto the card.  I stamped the stags onto the card and then I used a mountain stencil to ground them.  I also used a stencil for the sun.  All of the stamps that I've used today are by Inkylicious.

I would like to add this card into the following challenges:

Try It On Tuesday - Hot, Hot, Hot

Mid Month Inspiration - September 19

Hello,

It's time for some mid month inspiration over at Stamping Sensations and here's the card that I've made:

The main focal stamp is by Stacey Barras from Crafters Companion and the corner stamp is one that came free with a papercraft magazine.  I stamped the flowers with VersaFine Clair and then heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. I water coloured the flowers with Distress inks and Spectrum Aqua pens. I then used a blending tool with Distress inks and a touch of glycerine to colour around the image.

All the details of our challenge rules can be found here

Have a great day!

It's A Butterfly Day

Hello there,

I hope that you're enjoying your weekend whatever you may be doing.

I'm here today to share a few more of my samples that I made for Crafty Individuals last shows:

I told you it was a butterfly day!

Take care and I'll be back with you on Wednesday xx

Happy Days Are Here Again

Hello there,

I hope that you're all keeping well and happy.  Autumn is definitely winging it's way in here in the UK and our friends over the other side of the world are just starting to enjoy their Spring.  The world keeps on turning for us all doesn't it.  I've really grown to love the changing of the seasons as I've got older and each one brings with it it's own beauty.

I'm here today to share a card with you that I had published in the September edition of Craft Stamper magazine.  I was asked by Jean at Craft Individuals if I would make something with a seaside theme and I was very happy to help her out.  Here's my card:

The background was made using Olive Green Brushos and I used the same colours to water colours the parts of the card that I needed to.  I tore up strips of painted card to create the waves and to give the card some texture and movement.  The individual elements on my card have all been stamped, coloured and then fussy cut before using them to create a scene.  The stamp of the girls running into the sea is a favourite of mine as it congers up such a feeling of joy.

Take care and I hope to be back with you all soon x

Anything Goes With Flowers at Stamping Sensations

Hello there,

It's time for a new challenge over at Stamping Sensations and our theme this time is 'Anything Goes with Flowers.

I'm hoping that this card will brighten your day, as it makes me feel happy every time I look at it!

I stamped just a part of the BEAUtanicals Lilly by Bee Crafty before heat embossing it as I know that I'd be painting it at a later stage.  Next, I painted the image with masking fluid.  When this was dry, I sprinkled Brushos (Sunburst Lemon and Alzarin Crimson) before spritzing with colour to disperse the colour.  Aren't Brushos magical, I just love using them as you just never know what you're going to end up with.  I used Adirondack Mountain Rose ink to paint the Lilly and Impress Olive green for the stem and leaves.  The sentiment is by Inkylicious and I stamped this with VersaFine Clair before heat embossing to give a clearer impression.  How bright is this card?  It looks exactly the same in real life, which is another reason why I love using Brushos are their colours are so vivid.  Promise I'm not on commission for them lol :)

That's all from me for now, so I'll wish you a happy and peaceful day x

More Glorious Butterflies

Hello there,

How's your weekend going? Good I hope.  It's a Bank Holiday here in the UK, so an extra day off for lots of workers tomorrow.  It won't be long now before the kids are back at school will it.  I always think that's Autumn follows very shortly after that.

As the title of this blog post states, I'm here today to share with you a few more of my Crafty Individuals samples featuring one of their very latest very beautiful butterfly stamps:

Both cards feature CI-519 (Floral Explosion) by Crafty Individuals but they look completely different don't they.  I hope to be back with you later on in the week to share my remaining samples with you.  All four new butterfly stamps are currently on offer on the CI web site, in case you fancy treating yourselves.  

I'll leave you now to enjoy the rest of your weekend and I hope that it's a happy one! x

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Hello there on this lovely sunny Friday afternoon.

It's been a busy day for me so far as I've spent all morning gardening.  I can't believe how much things have grown over the last two or three weeks.  I guess it must be the mixture of sunshine and rain.  I don't usually let it go so far but my back has finally stopped being painful after the fall that I had a while ago and it's been the first time that I've felt up to doing it.  All done now though, so time to catch up with a bit of blogging.  

I've been making a few cards lately to top up my stash and this is one of them.  I have to admit that I haven't used this Sheena Douglass stamp in ages but it's a great stamp for masculine cards,  It's quite a simple card but I didn't feel that it needed any more.  The mountains are a stamp by Inkylicious:

That's all from me for today but I hope to be back with you on Sunday with a couple more of my  samples from the last Crafty Individuals shows on Hochanda.  

Wishing you all a very happy and colourful weekend x 

I would like to add this card to the following challenges:

Craft Stamper - TIMI August

Mid Month Inspiration - August 19

Hello there,

It's time for some mid month inspiration at Stamping Sensations where our theme this time is:

'Things With Wings'  

I stamped the lightbulb which is by Inkylicious and then stamped and fussy cut out the moth by Visible Image.  I added a yellow glow around the bulb and then blended some pink Distress Oxide to cover the white card in the background.  I then used various flower stamps by Stacey Barras before water colouring them with Spectrum Aqua pens.  I really like the finished card and it's something a little different to my usual style.  I also found it quite therapeutic colouring the roses.

Take care and be happy x

Poppy Power

Hello there on this Monday morning,

I'm here today to share a card with you using a gorgeous Woodware poppy stamp that I won in the July challenge over at the Penny Black and More challenge.  I received it through the post on Saturday and couldn't wait to ink it up:

I used Brushos to create my background and then stamped the poppies using VersaFine Clair.  After heat embossing, I used the Brushos again to paint the poppies.  As it's an A6 stamp, I used a few stamps by Crafty Individuals as fillers around the edge.  Finally, I blended some Cranberry Adirondack ink around the edge of my card.  Designed by Francoise Read, it's such a beautiful stamp and I think that I will make a few more using different colours to top up my card stash.

I hope to be back with you later in the week to share another care or two but until then, I hope the sun shines for you wherever you are x

I would like to add this card to the following challenges:

The Artistic Stamper - Anything Goes
Craft Stamper TIMI August - Anything goes
The Flower Challenge - Use Your Favourite Flower

CAS Butterfly

Hello there,

Well it's almost the weekend again and I can't believe just how quickly the weeks and months are passing by.  Whatever you're all getting up to, I hope that it's a happy time for you.

Now I know that CAS isn't usually my style but I've quite enjoyed making a few CAS cards recently and they're been really well received, much to my surprise.  Here's the card that I'd like to share with you today:

The Tim Holtz butterfly was stamped in VersaFine Clair Nocturn, heat embossed and then water coloured using Distress inks and Koh-I-Noor paints.  The sentiment stamps are by Lindsay Mason.

Only a short one from me today, so have a great weekend x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

CAS Watercolour August Challenge - Colourful Butterflies
Less Is More - Tangerine, Aqua and White

All About Butterflies

Hello there,

I'd like to share with you a couple of the samples that I made for Crafty Individuals shows on Hochanda earlier this week.  They had four brand new stamps this time around all featuring beautiful butterflies and here are my cards:

Brusho background 

The background was made using Distress Oxides and VersaFine Clair

As you can probably see, I'm loving my pinks on these two cards :)

I'd like to enter the first card into the following challenges:

Moo-Mania - Butterflies

 
I'd like to enter my second card into the following challenges:

The Artistic Stamper - Anything Goes

Wish You Were Here

Hello there,

I was really pleased a few weeks ago when I was asked if I would like to be a GD for the 'Try It On Tuesday' challenge.  This is one of my favourite challenges and I always like to enter whenever I have the time.  They have a very talented bunch of ladies on their DT, so why not pop over and see what fabulous makes they've done for this latest challenge.  Here's the card that I've made:

I started by stamping with VersaFine Clair Nocturn and then heat embossing the palm trees and the lady to avoid any smudges during the colouring process.  I masked off the sea and then used my Ink Dusters to colour the sky.  I used a small circle stencil to create the setting sun.  Next, I masked off the sky and coloured the sea in the same way.  I then used a paint brush with a little more colour to give it some movement.  I also used my inks to water colour the lady on the beach.  Finally, I used some Fluffy Puffy stuff to make the sea foam look a little more realistic and added a few strokes with a white gel pen to represent the waves.

The lady stamp, rocks and sentiment stamps were free with Creative Stamping magazine and the palm trees are by Crafty Individuals.

A big thank you to the fabulous DT at TIOT for asking me to GD for this month's challenge x 

I'd like to add this car into the following challenges:

TIME OUT Challenge - Relaxation

Things With Wings

Hello there my lovely craft friends,

It's time for a new challenge again at Stamping Sensations and our theme this time is:

'Things With Wings'

If you remember,  back in the Spring, Crafty Individuals brought out some new stamps by Maria Kitano.  I have to say that I fell in love with these stamps as soon as they dropped through my post box but this Bluebird was my favourite.  It just looks so lifelike and it can be used for so many different occasions.  I also love that you can use any colours that you choose to and it always looks fabulous.

I started by using a yellow Distress Oxide ink and a little glycerine which I applied with a blending tool.  I stamped and heat embossed the image with VersaFine Clair and then coloured it with various inks and Koh-I-Noor water colours. I used another CI background stamp (CI-430) with Distress Blueprint Sketch which I spritz with water before stamping.  I also used the same ink to blend around the edge of my card.  I think this colour works beautifully with the yellow ink.  Finally, I finished with a sentiment from Chocolate Baroque.

Before I leave you today, I'd just like to give you a quick reminder that the lovely Jean Hardy will be on Hochanda tomorrow at 4pm and again on Tuesday at 10am.  As usual, she'll be joined by the fabulous Lesley Wharton from Chocolate baroque.  There are some super new butterfly stamps and great demos, so be sure to tune in.  If you can't make the shows, then you can always use the catch up on Hochanda to watch them later.  That's all from me for today and I'll be back with you again on Tuesday.

Take care of yourselves and have a lovely day x

Celebrating Women

Hello,

First of all, I'd like to thank you for your kind words and concern about my back.  It's still quite painful but it has improved a little since the weekend, so fingers crossed that it will keep getting better.

I'm here today to share a card that I made at the weekend for the @gardenpartychallenge on Instagram but I think it will work really well at the challenge over at The Artistic Stamper too.  I think it closes at the end of today, so it's a bit last minute but better late than never as they say.  Here it is:

I'll be back with you on Sunday, so until then, take care and be happy x

Buttons, bows and a painful back!

Hello there,

I'm here today to share a card that I've made today for the new challenge over at Allsorts.  The theme is 'Buttons and Bows' and is the choice of my lovely blogging mate Kath.  Now I'm not usually one for using buttons on cards but I found the perfect stamp for the job so I thought I'd join in with the fun.  The stamp is by Woodware and it's the first time its been inked up.  The backing paper is by Crafty Individuals and I've done some faux stitching around the edge:

Now for the painful back story.... I looked around my craft room yesterday and it was a real mess, so I decided to have a tidy up day.  Now as you in the UK are aware, it's been a hot few days here and so the fan was a must.  My chair was blocking the cool air flow and so I moved my chair from it's usual position.  Now you all know what it's like when you start to discover things that you'd forgotten about and in the excitement of the moment, I sat back in my chair, which wasn't there, of course!!!!  Ouch, that is what I might have said if I could have spoken.  It literally took my breath away and I felt so sick.  My Hubby heard the bang from downstairs and came running up.  He just saw the blood which had splattered all over as I'd scraped my shoulder on my desk on my way down.  I won't go on as I'm sure that you get the gist of it all.  I could hardly walk last night but didn't want to be in A&E on a Friday evening and I'm sure it will be better once the bruising comes out.  It is a little easier today but walking is still very painful, especially up and down stairs, so I've sat at my desk for most of today making a few cards and this one of them.  The moral of my story is if your craft room is untidy, then just leave it as it is as it's probably safer that way lol.

That's all from me for today and I wish you all a safe, happy and colourful weekend x

Mid Month Inspiration - July 19

Hello there,

It's time for some mid month inspiration over at Stamping Sensations and here's the card that I've made:

For the background, I've used a combination of Inkylicious stamps as I wanted to achieve a collage effect.  For my main focal image, I've smooshed Distress inks in the background and then used this lovely silhouette stamp (CI-367) by Crafty Individuals.  As always, I've stamped with VersaFine Clair and then heat embossed.

 I hope to be back with you all soon but until then, take care and be happy x

Find Courage

Hello there,

Just a really quick post from me today to share a card that I made yesterday for the new @gardenpartychallenge on Instagram.  The challenge is run by two of my Crafty Individuals teamies, Sylvia and Isa, so I'm happy very to be supporting them both in their new crafty venture:

The Poppy stamp is by Inkylicious, the sentiment is by Visible Image and the background text stamp is by Crafty Individuals.  I've water coloured the poppy using Distress Inks and the sentiment is heat embossed in gold.

I would also like to add this card into the following challenges:

Craft Stamper - Take It Make It (July)

The Earth Laughs In Flowers

Hello there,

I hope that you are all keeping well and that the sun is shining for you wherever you are.

It's time for a new challenge at 'Stamping Sensations' and our theme this time is:

'The Earth Laughs In Flowers'

I think Crafty Individuals are well known for their beautiful floral stamps but this is one of my favourites of theirs. I've smooshed Distress Oxides onto my craft mat and then spritzed them with water before pressing my card into them.  Once this was dry, I stamped the image with VersaFine Clair and then heat embossed it.  I painted the flowers using various inks and Spectrum aqua markers. I finished my card by added a pretty lace die cut and black ribbon.

That's all from me for now, so I'll wish you a happy and peaceful day x

Time To Make Some Changes

Hello there on this Monday morning.

I hope that you all had a good weekend and that it wasn't too warm for you.  It's much cooler here today and I'm just doing this quick post before I go out and cut my grass, which has shot up again over the last week.

The card that I'm sharing with you today is one that I've made for a new challenge on Instagram which has been started by two friends, one of which is my very talented Crafty Individuals teamie Sylvie.  It's called the #gardenpartychallenge.  Here's my card:

I started by using a pink Distress Oxide in the background then spritzing it with water.  Once dry, I used Text scrips by Crafty Individuals and Inkylicious to create my background.  Next, I stamped and heat embossed the Moth  and sentiment  by Visible Image before using the additional stamps by Crafty Individuals and Inkylicious.  I finished off by colouring in the Moth and stamps with Adirondack and Distress inks.  The faux stitching around the edge of my card was made by punching holes and then joining the up using a fine black pen.

This was the challenge

Good luck to Sylvie in her new crafty venture and I wish you all a happy and colourful day x 

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