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. 

We Love Stamping June 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.

Our theme this month is:

** Close to Nature**

OR

**Anything Goes**

My first card this month features a stamp by Chocolate Baroque from the set called Lords and Ladies.

I started by masking off a strip on my cardbase (hot pressed watercolour paper) and used watercolour to create the soft background. I then stamped the image and used watercolour to colour the flowers. The sentiment is also by Chocolate Baroque (amazing Mackintosh words). I finished it off with 3 little black gems and was quite pleased with how it turned out.

I hope you like it too.

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:

Addicted to CAS #284 - Floral

I have been asked to share some pictures of my garden. I have been enjoying the roses at the moment, both in my garden and on my morning walks. These pictures are from my garden.

This is called Rosa Glauca. I think it is so pretty

My rambling roses are just coming into flower. They are the white ones. These roses cover both fences for almost their whole length. They are flowering quite early this year. 

I will be back tomorrow with the May card chain challenge reveal and will share two more photos.

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

We Love Stamping May 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. 

I was away for a few days last week, so have got a bit behind with my blog visits. I hope to get back to normal soon and catch up with what I have missed.

Pinky has chosen our theme this month:

**Four legged friends**

OR

**Anything Goes**

I bought this decorative frames press plate and matching die by Pinkfresh Studio with some of my birthday money. I just love all that detail and, of course, the first thing I did was foil it, several times. Once I saw how beautifully it turned out I wondered what to do that wouldn't cover it all up. I went through my stamps and as I needed another card for this four legged friends challenge, I looked for suitable stamps and came across a stamp set that must be one of the first I owned. I have no packaging for it so have no idea of the brand. The little rabbit fitted perfectly along with a sentiment from Uniko. I stamped and fussy cut the rabbit, coloured it with alcohol markers and cut 2 more to stack it. I coloured all the edges with black marker and then clear heat embossed over the whole thing. I did several layers so it is very glossy and quite sturdy. 

I was pleased with how it fitted in the centre. Before gluing it down I just added some grey to act as ground for the rabbit. I have used glossy alcohol ink paper for the foiled panel and with the clear heat embossing the finished card has a lovely shine. You can see it a little bit on the picture below.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month the prizes are from Lavinia Stamps. 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 April.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

As usual when I have something new or do something I like, I made two more:

This time the frame plate was pressed and the little mouse stamp is from a Penny Black set called critter delights that I received as a gift some time ago. The central panel is heat embossed as before. I decided that the mouse with his tail and whiskers would be too difficult to fussy cut.

This is actually the one I made first. The frame plate has been foiled and the teddy (from the same set as the rabbit) was stamped, coloured, fussy cut and then clear heat embossed. I have decided that these would make good cards for children, which I am pleased about as I don't like making childrens cards. Now I have 3 ready to go.

And finally - a couple of pictures of a fantastic wisteria that I pass on my morning walk. I note that the house is for sale too. I might consider buying it just for the wisteria!

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