We Love Stamping August Challenge

Today is the first Sunday of the month so time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping. Where we love to see you showcase your stamping.

I have chosen our theme this month. There are no prizes for guessing what I chose:

**Flowers**

OR

**Anything Goes**

My star of the show flower is a stamp by Altenew called wonder flower. I stamped and coloured it with watercolour markers and after cutting it out with the matching die I clear heat embossed it all over, giving it several coats so it was lovely and shiny. I then stacked it 3 times. The sentiment stamp is by Uniko from their simply said stamp set and I gave it the same treatment as the flower.

The frame is a press plate and matching die from Pinkfresh studio called decorative frames. I discovered that it is one of those where it is quite a challenge to get the die lined up properly, but am hopeful that the misalignment is not really noticeable!

To make the background I cut a piece of grey card to fit inside the largest frame and masked the edges. I then used some Simon Hurley  solar Paste (crocodile tears) through a petal stencil by Sweet Dixie. This was my first time using solar paste and I really like it. It goes on really smoothly and has a wonderful shine. It also picks up the colour of the underlying card whilst retaining the subtle colour of the paste. Very clever.

For the insert I used the press plate with memento London fog ink. you can see it in the first photo.

Our prize this month is a £25 store voucher from Personal Impressions (inc pps, winner meets costs of any additional spend). Personal Impressions is one of the UK’s leading brand managers/wholesalers/distributors in the arts and crafts industry, specialising in mixed media, papercrafts, card-making, scrapbooking and journaling. PI are proud to represent over 70 brands from global, recognisable brands to small, niche and new.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is ensure stamping (including digi) is seen somewhere on your card front, it no longer needs to be the main focus. Please also mention the products used. It would be great if you could join in with our theme, but anythings goes is always an option if you are out of ideas. The challenge will close at noon (UK time) on Wednesday 3rd September.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

There is a lot happening in my life at the moment so I shan't be around so much on line. My apologies if I miss some posts. I hope that normal service will resume in a week or so. Today I am heading to Birmingham to my daughters house and will visit the Festival of Quilts at the NEC on the way. On Monday I will be driving to Felixstowe with my grandkids for a few days stay in a caravan by the sea. I am really hoping that the weather stays fine.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

July Card Chain Challenge Reveal

Today is 2nd of the month so time for the Card Chain Challenge big reveal. This month 21 card makers took part and I sent my card to Brenda in the UK.

I used the colour option, the product of mirror card and the theme of friendship.

I have recently purchased some of the slatted shape dies from Craft Addiction UK. I have to say that they are really good value and quite addictive. The turquoise and olive are Catherine Pooler colours and the smoke is some grey card by Concord & 9th.

I started by cutting my grey card to size. I am still using up some ready made square card blanks. This one is just under 6 inches square. I cut the central square from the grey card before embossing it with a Spellbinders folder. I cut a piece of white card with the slatted die and then coloured it with the turquoise ink. I then inked the cut out white strips with the olive ink and wove them between the turquoise strips. This was rather fiddly and a pain to get even, but I stuck with it. The square was backed with some silver mirror card. The little doily die is by My Favourite Things. I inked one with the olive ink.

The sentiment is a die by Altenew that I cut from the grey and backed with mirror card. On the first photo you can see the insert. I cut 2 slatted square inked them with turquoise and olive and then rotated one 90 degrees. Much easier than weaving but not quite the same effect.

I was very lucky to receive this gorgeous card from Chris in Illinois. Isn't it a beauty? Thanks Chris.

Here it is closed:

 

 and open:

If you would like to take part in the next card chain challenge, you have until 6th to sign up here

On the 31st July, I made my annual trip to the RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show and thought I would share a couple of photos with you. If you ever get a chance to visit the RHS Gardens they are well worth it and even better when there is an event with loads of stalls. Of course I had to buy one or 2 things, but thankfully didn't break the bank.

This is an Aeonium Halloween, what a beauty.

This is a view of the dry garden, which covers a hill with a cafe at the top. The photos make it look like quite a grey day, but it was actually really warm and the sun kept coming and going.

I will be back tomorrow with my August we love stamping post.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

We Love Stamping July Reminder

Today is the 18th so time for a reminder for the current challenge over at We Love Stamping. The challenge where we love to see you using your stamps. 

Emma has chosen our theme this month:

**Sun, Sea, Sand**

OR

**Anything Goes**

My fishy stamp set this time is from Woodware and it is called swimming fish. I stamped and heat embossed the 3 fish, fussy cut them and coloured them with Gelly Roll sparkle pens (I seem to be into them at the moment!). I made the background with a stencil by The Crafters Workshop and some sticky mat glue and gilding flakes. I thought it was a complete mess at first, but decided to stick with it and use it for a background for the fish. I think it adds to the quirkiness of the fish.

I used a sentiment ready made in my stash. It is a hotfoil plate by Alex Syberia as used on my fist DT card this month. The stencil was 6x6 so I used the left over bit on the insert.

I think this card is quite quirky. I wasn't too happy at first, it is quite different for me, but it is growing on me. I didn't like the way the gel pen marks show, but then I thought perhaps it would make a good card for a child. Then I was happy.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month we have a lovely set from Lisa Horton Crafts called Petal Flourish bundle, embossing folder and coordinating stencils. Why don't you head over to the challenge blog to check it out? The prize winner is selected randomly and in addition the DT will choose a top three for special mention.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is ensure that stamping (including digi) is featured somewhere your card. It would be great if you could join in with our theme, but anythings goes is always an option if you are out of ideas. The challenge will close at noon (UK time) on Wednesday 30th July.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

I am also sharing this at:

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

We Love Stamping July Challenge

Today is the first Sunday of the month so time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping. Where we love to see you showcase your stamping.

Emma has chosen our theme this month:

**Sun, Sea, Sand**

OR

**Anything Goes**

This theme is definitely not one of my favourites, but I had a search through my stamps and found 2 sets that including fish. So I decided that they would be my theme for both my DT cards this month. The stamp I have used today is called something fishy by Pink Ink Designs. In addition to the stamp it has 2 matching dies so the fish can be cut out.

I started by heat embossing the stamp onto some Strathmore vellum paper. I masked the edges and then used Catherine Pooler inks to watercolour the background. When it was dry I spritzed it with silvery cosmic shimmer spray and coloured the frame with a Gelly Roll sparkle pen. I stamped and heat embossed the image again so I could cut out the fish. They were also coloured with my sparkle pens and stacked before adding to the panel. The sentiment was already made and is from an Alex Syberia hotfoil plate.

The finished card has a lovely shine and sparkle. I am so sorry that you can't see that in the photos.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month we have a lovely set from Lisa Horton Crafts called Petal Flourish bundle, embossing folder and coordinating stencils. Why don't you head over to the challenge blog to check it out? The prize winner is selected randomly and in addition the DT will choose a top three for special mention.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is ensure stamping (including digi) is seen somewhere on your card front, it no longer needs to be the main focus. Please also mention the products used. It would be great if you could join in with our theme, but anythings goes is always an option if you are out of ideas. The challenge will close at noon (UK time) on Wednesday 30th July.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

Fun with a Stencil

Today I am sharing a card that I am really happy with. I think it is proving to be one of my favourites, and as I have seen several challenges using stencils, I thought it was time to share it. I suspect it has that favourite status because it's green!

I have used a circular stencil by Funky Fossil and embossing folder by Spellbinders, Gina K texture paste and a circular thank you die by Dress My Craft, which was a lovely gift. I hadn't used my various pastes for a long time so I had a little session and discovered that this gina K paste takes water very well. It had got a bit dry so I added some water and it became lovely and smooth and went through the stencil perfectly.

I cut out the stencilled panel with a circular die and also used the same die to cut out the centre of the background panel before I embossed it. I didn't want to cover up the stencilled area too much so I used some vellum behind the thank you die, just to help the words stand out. I used some green ink through the stencil for the insert and envelope, which you can just see in the first photo.

I am sharing this at:

Just us girls week 782 - Die week. Unfortunately I missed stencil week, but I have used 2 dies on this card and the flowers are summer things.

Stencil Fun July Challenge - Anything Goes

NBUS #76 - The thank you die is NBUS

Darnell's Ideas Challenge - Week 5 stencils

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

June Card Chain Challenge Reveal

Today is 2nd of the month so time for the Card Chain Challenge big reveal. This month 19 card makers took part and I sent my card to Wendy in Ireland.

This month I used the sketch (unusual for me), the theme options of gingham, something begining with TU (tulip), friendship and the technique option of rip it up. I can't quite believe it myself, but I actually have torn edges on my card, albeit quite neat ones!

I made my panel with 3 pieces of card. I tore the edges of the gingham and plain green card and tucked the white debossed leaf piece in behind the torn edges. The tulip die (a gift from Gundi) was cut from a gelli print panel which had gold paint on it. I backed it with vellum and used left over bits to cut the sentiment (a Concord & 9th die).

I think this is a bit different for me and I rather like it. I am glad Wendy did too.

I was very lucky to receive this gorgeous card from Mia in Greece. It's a beauty, thanks Mia.

Of course Mia being Mia, I didn't just receive a card, but a whole parcel of goodies. Double thanks Mia.

If you would like to take part in the next card chain challenge, you have until 6th to sign up here

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

Craftlandia 23

Welcome

Today it's time for another Craftlandia Challenge hosted by Mia on her blog. This is a quarterly challenge and now it is June the 22nd it is time for the 23rd Craftlandia Challenge. Today our theme is poppies (or anything goes) and our sponsor is Conjurer of Dreams.

Our generous sponsor is giving away 4 sets of your choice. I can't think of a better reason for joining us.

Here is my poppy card made with a Conjurer of Dreams image.

These are such lovely images. I don't often use digital images on my cards, so I am pleased to be trying something different for me. When I started making this I had no idea how it would end up, but I decided that I wanted to have a dreamy feel to it, so I cropped my image to just include those lovely poppies and the dreamy sky. For some reason I decided to use one of my many square card blanks. This one is just under 6 inches. I used Catherine Pooler Samba ink to colour the frames as it was a close match for the image, and embossed the white frame with Honey Bee's Sandy Garden 3D embossing folder. The sentiment is by Uniko. I embossed the flap of the envelope too.

I hope you will be able to find time to join us with the theme of spring. Head over to Mia's blog to find all the details and more inspiration from my fellow DT members Craftlandia 23.

I am also sharing this at:

Just Us Girls #780 - Mood Board

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

We Love Stamping June Reminder

Today is the 18th so time for a reminder for the current challenge over at We Love Stamping. The challenge where we love to see you using your stamps. 

Pinky has chosen our theme this month:

** Close to Nature**

OR

**Anything Goes**

I have been enjoying using my Faber-Castell Polychromos coloured pencils recently, so here is another of my efforts. The stamp is called celebration bouquet by Chocolate Baroque. It was stamped in versafine clare green oasis ink and coloured. When I was happy with the look I cut it using an oval die and then matted it onto a dark brown oval mat. The sentiment is from a press plate set by Pinkfresh studio called always smiling. It was foiled of course.

I embossed the background with a basket weave folder and mounted it onto a white 7x5 cardbase.  A few shiny gold gems finished it off.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month it is a very large stamp by Tom Holtz called Glorious Bouquet from Buddly Crafts. Why don't you head over to the challenge blog to check it out? The prize winner is selected randomly and in addition the DT will choose a top three for special mention.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is ensure stamping (including digi) is seen somewhere on your card front, it no longer needs to be the main focus. Please also mention the products used. It would be great if you could join in with our theme, but anythings goes is always an option if you are out of ideas. The challenge will close at noon (UK time) on Wednesday 2nd July

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

I am also sharing this at:

The Flower Challenge #103 - Embossing heat or dry

Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. challenge - Week 3 embossing wet or dry

Try it on Tuesday - in the garden

To reward you for reaching the end of my post, here are a couple of photos of my rambling roses. They grow along the length the fence on both sides of the garden and smell wonderful. These photos were taken on the 11th June and now they are past their best and it is raining white petals, but I have made a point of sitting and enjoying them this year, before I need to start pruning again to keep them under control.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it. 

May Card Chain Challenge Reveal

Today is 2nd of the month so time for the Card Chain Challenge big reveal. This month 22 card makers took part and I sent my card to Barbara in Switzerland.

From all the options I used the themes of chicken and friendship. I thought it was high time that this chicken stamp by Woodware saw the light of day. As it is quite a large stamp, I decided to make a 7x5 card and started by stamping and heat embossing the image with chocolate caramel pearl Wow embossing powder.

As the chicken is so detailed I decided to keep the background simple, so I masked the chicken and blended some blue ink to give some background interest. The chicken was then coloured with sparkle pens.

The sentiment came with the chicken. I stamped and heat embossed it, die cut it and blended a little of the blue ink over the die cut. I also stamped and heat embossed the chickens claw so that it wasn't hidden behind. Love those little details!

You can get a slightly better idea of the shine from the embossing and sparkle pens on the above picture. Thankfully, this card made it's was to Switzerland in good time.

I was very lucky to receive this gorgeous card from Robyn in Australia. Thanks Robyn.

If you would like to take part in the next card chain challenge, you have until 6th to sign up here

As promise yesterday here are a couple of different views of my garden:

Here are some of my succulent pots

The Californian Poppies are enjoying the sunshine

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.