Love Is In The Hare

Hello there on this Sunday afternoon.

I hope that you're enjoying your weekend and that you've managed to find some time for a little crafting.  I'm here today to share the first of my new samples that I've made for the shows that Crafty Individuals have on Hochanda today and tomorrow.  Jean's first show will be starting in fifteen minutes, so grab yourself a cuppa and get your feet up for an hour of great demos by Jean and Lesley.  There will be two more shows tomorrow at 12pm and 4pm, and don't forget that if you miss any of the shows, then you can always watch them on Hochanda Catch up for the next couple of weeks.

Jean will be sharing 6 new stamps by Maria Kitano and a couple of old favourites.  All of the stamps are absolutely fabulous and I know that you're going to love them as much as I do.  Here's the first of my samples:

Featuring CI-508 and CI-385

I have to admit that I really enjoyed making this card and it's definitely one of my favourites out of the samples that I've made this time.  Aren't those Hares just adorable and they are perfect for making Easter cards too.  I have to admit that I didn't want to part with this one :)

I started by creating the Northern lights background and then adding a few dark hills with a mountain/valley stencil.  Next, I stamped the flowers using VersaFine Clair Nocturn and then heat embossed with a clear embossing powder. I used a white Posca marker pen to highlight the flowers and to splatter the sky with stars.  I have to say that the Posca marker is fabulous for this technique as you get the splatters in different sizes, so it looks more natural.  The Hares were stamped, painted with Tea Dye Distress ink and then fussy cut out before being added to the scene.  I attached them with silicone glue to give the card some dimension.  The love die cue was made using a die that I bought from The Works.  It's the first time that I've used it but I thought that it worked really well on this card.

Before I leave you today,  I'd just like you to spare some time to send your loving thoughts to my most kind and wonderful blogging friend Jenny who lost her dear Husband, Tony this week.  I just wish that I had the words to make things better for her.  Jenny.....you are in my thoughts and prayers xxx

That's all from me for today but I hope to be back with you soon to share more samples.  Wishing you all a happy day x

Poppies For A Friend

Hello there,

Look at me….two posts in one weekend.  I'm sure it's the sunshine that's going to my head, although it's also showing me where I need to do a Spring clean lol :)

I'd like to share a card with you today that I made for one of my blogging friends recently.

All the stamps that I've used are by chocolate Baroque.  I haven't had this set very long and I chose to use both Poppy stamps from the set as I wanted to make an 8 x 8 card.  My background was made using a blending tool and Distress inks and I also used various stamps in the background to add a little interest.  The corner stamp which I've used is also from the same set and I think it fames the image really well.

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

Try It On Tuesday - Say It With Flowers

Feathered Friends

Hello there,

I hope that the sun is shining wherever you are.  It's a beautiful Spring morning here and it's amazing how a little sunshine can brighten up the day.

I'm here today to share a card with you that I've made for this week's challenge at Allsorts and their theme is 'Feathered Friends.'  Now it just so happens that the last stamp release by Crafty Individuals were some beautiful birds by Maria Kitano, so I didn't have to think too hard about which stamp I would use for this challenge.  Here's my card:

I started by stamping the bird with VersaFine Clair and then heat embossing it. Next, I created the background by using Distress inks, a blending tool and Brushos. I then used a background stamp which I spritzed with water to give it a more diluted look.  The main two colours that I used were Carved Pumpkin and Blueprint Sketch.  I then coloured the bird using Koh-I-Noor water colours and Distress inks.  The paper in the background that I've layered in on to is also by Crafty Individuals.

I would also like to add this card to the following challenge:

Craft Stamper - Take It Make It March Anything Goes

That's all from me for today, so take care and I wish you all that' will make you happy x

Mid Month Inspiration - March 19

Hello my crafty friends,

Our 'Over The Rainbow' challenge is in full swing over at 'Stamping Sensations' and it's time for us to give you some mid month inspiration, so here's the card that I've made:

Once again, I've used my Brushos but this time I sprinkled them directly onto the card and then spritzed them with water.  I know that I've mentioned this before but I just love the randomness of them and it's great to see how different they look each time.  The stamps that I've used all by Visible Image and I've stamped them using VersaFine Clair.

Don't forget that our fabulous prize this month is a:

'LUCKY DIP' 

and the winner will receive an assortment of 10 dies and embossing folders.

We'd love you to join us this month and we would like you to be inspired by either the colours of the rainbow or by the lyrics of the song  'Somewhere Over The Rainbow,' so that gives you plenty to go at and we can't wait to see your colourful creations.

Please remember that Stamping Sensations is a 'STAMPING' challenge, so we must see a stamped image, sentiment or quote as the focal element of your artwork, this means: Stamping must be the central point of attention and interest.

All the details of our challenge rules can be found here

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

In Love With Sebastian

Hello there,

Well I don't know about the weather where you are but it's been raining here for the last few days and it's hard to believe that we ever had such glorious weather back in February.  It's been lovely to see all the blossom on the trees and you can see buds starting to appear everywhere, so lets hope it won't be too long before spring arrives.

I'd like to share two cards with you today that I've made using my new 'Sebastian' stamp from Lavinia.  I watched their shows last week on Hochanda and I just couldn't resist him.

The background on the first one was made by smooshing various Distress inks and then picking up the colour.  The second one was made with Brushos and then I've used various inks around the edge to darken it.  I tend to always do this with a darker colour as it draws in the viewers eye and frames the image.  I also discovered a new products on the shows, which were the Brushos 'Sprinkle It.'  These are absolutely amazing.  They can be used in exactly the same way as normal Brusho to give a wonderful all over sparkle, or they can be mixed with water and painted directly where you need them.  I've used the gold one on my second card but I don't think it shows too well in the photos.  Once it's dry, then it's pretty much set in place, so it looks great but you don't have glitter all over the place.  This will be a new experience for me as I normally sparkle wherever I go :)

Here are my cards:

That's all from me for today and I wish you all a wonderful weekend x 

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

The Artistic Stamper March - Colour It Green

Over The Rainbow

Hello there,

I hope this Sunday morning finds you well and happy.

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

'Over The Rainbow'   

Here's the card that I've made:

I started by adding water to some rainbow coloured Brushos and then I splattered them over a Gelli Plate before pressing my card onto them.  I wanted a sort of arty effect and I'm happy with how the background looks.  I decided to use Brushos as I just love the intensity of their colour.  The stamps that I've used are all by Visible Image.  The butterflies are great to work with as they cut out beautifully and are great for adding a touch of dimension.

The prize this month will be a 

'LUCKY DIP' 

and the winner will receive an assortment of 10 dies and embossing folders.

We'd love you to join us this month and we would like you to be inspired by either the colours of the rainbow or by the lyrics of the song  'Somewhere Over The Rainbow,' so that gives you plenty to go at and we can't wait to see your colourful creations.

Please remember that Stamping Sensations is a 'STAMPING' challenge, so we must see a stamped image, sentiment or quote as the focal element of your artwork, this means: Stamping must be the central point of attention and interest.

All the details of our challenge rules can be found here

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

Craft Stamper Take It Make it March - Anything goes

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

Thinking Of Summer

Hello there,

I'd like to share a card with you that I've made for this week's Allsorts challenge.  Their theme is

'Seasons - Which is your favourite'  

Now I have to say that I love all of the seasons as each one comes with it's own joy and beauty but for the purpose of this challenge, the season that I've chosen is Summer:

Lots of masking involved with this one and the girls were stamped, coloured and then fussy cut out.  The stamps that I've used are by Inkylicious and Crafty Individuals and I've used Distress inks to colour my card.  It's definitely making me think of the warmer days to come. and that's a good feeling.

In other news, I've had a card published in the April edition of Craft Stamper, which was out yesterday.  The theme was 'Dancing in the Moonlight' and here's a sneaky peak:

                               

I'll show you the whole card when the May issue of Craft Stamper has been released.

I also thought I'd let you know that I went to Aldi today and found these:

I thought that I've give them a try as they were only...… £2.99 (What a bargain)  They are nice and soft but I don't know how they compare with the ones that Clarity sell as I've never used them.  They are softer than my Ink Dusters and I just tried one with a little blue ink and the effect was really subtle.  I think they will be great for just softening edges when you don't really need a lot of ink.  I'm happy enough with them and thought that I'd mention it just in case you want to take a look for yourselves.

Right then, that's all from me for today but I'll be back again tomorrow as we have a new challenge starting over at Stamping Sensations.  You're in for a real treat with the DT samples as they are fabulous and I think you will love the challenge, so I hope that you can join us.

Enjoy the rest of your evening x