Happy Christmas Everyone

My blog has been sadly neglected of late, sometimes life just gets in the way.  I've really struggled with doing all the Christmas stuff this year and then both husband and I got smitten with colds, I can't get rid of this horrible cough. Anyhow just about caught up with everything now so just time to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas and New Year . 

Twinkle, Twinkle

The challenge at Try It On Tuesday this time is " Twinkle Twinkle" so we would like to see lots of twinkling stars this time.  For my card I have used the large star from Stampin Up Star of light stamp set and two of the wording stamps from the same set.  I have used my very last piece of the lovely pearlised blue card for this ,all embossing in detail silver, mounted onto a piece of silver glitter card and the three small stars punched from glitter card too.  I used the stitched oblong die from The Christina Collection from Craft Stash, could not believe how many dies are in this set and they cut beautifully too ( only arrived today but I had to try them out straight away !)

Winter Tree

Time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations and this month it is Winter Trees and Flora. There is a fabulous prize from Stix2 for the lucky winner so get stamping for a chance to win.  As we are a stamping challenge the  main focus of your entry must be stamping, a large wording stamp is acceptable but not a small sentiment added as an afterthought.

This is the prize from Stix2

For my card I have used a new to me stamp from Penny Black called Restful.  I like the fact it is a large stamp that nicely fills a 6 x 6 card. I stamped it first in Archival brown ink and then coloured the background with pan pastels, love that they make a colourful background so quickly. I stamped the stag (Inkylicious) in the same archival ink, did have to stamp it twice to make sure the fence wasn't showing though(what did I do before I got my Misti ?) just added a little white gel pen to some of the branches and raided the old peel off stash for a glittery star.

Snow much fun

1st December and our challenge at Christmas Sparkles has been chosen by Sandra who has asked for snowman, one or many !  I've chosen this Crafters Companion happy chappy and added his banner with gifts and stocking hanging from it, coloured with promarkers.  Finished off with a Merry Christmas stamp. Hope you are all ready with your Christmas cards and have time to join in our challenge.

Joy To The World

Well here it is the last Rudolph Challenge of the year and wonders never cease in that  I have managed to enter every month. We all really appreciate that Maureen runs this challenge every year, so a big Thank You Mo,

For my card I have used the lovely Penny Black Wreath embellished with red stickles and I coloured the bow with a red pro marker. The background holly is a freebie stamp which I really like.  

Robin and Holly

At Try It On Tuesday challenge today we are asking for colours, no white or hardly any. Yes I know it looks as though I have white on my card but the mat is silver glitter card and the foiling round the edges is silver too, hard to get a true picture of it. The only white I have is the puffy stuff on the branch and the white snow dots.  I have coloured this with my Polychromo pencils and I am so happy at how they work on the Kraft card, I usually find it hard to work with as it seems to dull the colours .I've had this stamp for several years and think I've used it every year too.

Home, sweet home

 Time for a new challenge at Try It On Tuesday and this time the challenge is Home,Sweet Home. Must admit I was a bit stumped with this one, I do have a couple of new home stamps but wasn't happy with what I attempted with them. I ended up with something that is not at all my usual stuff as its entirely made with die cuts, an embossing folder and scraps of paper, not a stamp in sight,even the wording is computer generated but as my O.H who never comments on anything I make actually said he liked it and then a friend who came in said the same I thought maybe it would be ok .  Hope to see some inspiring makes in our challenge.

One layer Christmas

This month at Stamping Sensations the challenge is "On layer Christmas Cards"  I must admit I find one layer cards very difficult , I'm such a messy stamper I usually end up with smudges or decide to stamp a sentiment at last moment and mess it up!  However this time I did all the stamping with the card in my Misti and it worked out fine. The sky and snow lines are coloured with blue Pan pastel,something else to get mucky fingermarks with LOL, a while ago I saw a tip to slip the back of the card into an envelope to keep it clean and it works a treat,my card is pristine inside and out.

This month we are sponsored by Tattered Lace and this is the lovely prize for the lucky winner.

Don't forget we MUST see stamping as the focal point of your entry, we are not looking for a small sentiment added at last minute but you can use a large stamped stamped sentiment if it is the main 

focus of your entry. , 

Star Of Wonder

 Here is my DT card for Christmas Sparkles challenge for November where Jane has chosen the theme of More Than One Fold.  For my card I have used the double Z technique. I have to say I am most disappointed at how it looks on here as I could could not get a decent photo, the stamping on the gold star is gold so why it looks red on here I don't know.  Stamps used are all Stampin up with the exception of the little flourish, all papers inked with memento ink. Hope you will join us in our challenge this month.

ps: I normally scan my cards and this is a scan of my card which shows the colours more realistically.

Wintertide

Time again for Scrappy Mo's Rudolph Challenge and for once I'm getting in on the 25th (just !)  I thought I was going to be making a very quick card with this die but as usual didn't work out that way.When I first cut the die I couldn't work out what to do next but eventually added the snow drift,the white die cut frame, a distress ink background, glittery star, word stamp from Stampin Up Star of light set, diamond dust glitter and a die cut stag. I need to really get cracking with Christmas cards but I've been busy making a load of cards to sell at a coffee morning/fair where we are trying to raise more funds in our fight against our local council trying to double the size of our village .
I'd also like to enter my card  at
The Holly and Ivy Christmas challenge - anything Christmas 
and
The Merry Christmas Christmas challenge - anything goes

Going round in circles

Our new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is Circles. For my card I have used a piece of card which has been dipped in distress oxide inks on my craft sheet. While I was dithering about wondering what stamps to use I came across a little packet of Artemio Stamps of circles ,never been used but now I've used them think they will be used as I liked the effect of all over stamping with them.

Penny farthing bicycle is a die cut, wheels making two more circles and the saying is from a set of Darkroom door stamps. Hope you will join in our challenge , we want to see lots of circles on your entries.   

Little cottage in the woods

The other night I decided it was high time I got started on some Christmas cards, last year I was well on the way at this time.  I love this Crafty Individuals stamp which needs very little colouring but lots of glitter, added it to a Sizzix snow embossing folder, cut a couple of hills and edged everything with blue ink and glitter. The saying is from some freebie stamps last year, finished off with Tim Holtz Christmas trees edged with green.  After I had made one I decided I would make six of them but ended up with seven as I stamped and cut out out six of everything forgetting I had already made one, sometimes I wonder .......?  I'd like to enter this into these challenges

The Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything goes + Christmas

The Holly and Ivy Christmas challenge - always anything goes for Christmas

ABC Christmas Challenge - U for unlimited or anything goes

Wicked

Time for a new challenge at Try It On Tuesday and this time it is " Things That Go Bump In The Night"  For my DT card I have made a Halloween card, the background is various colours of pan pastels, the witch and cauldron are Lavinia stamps and the rats,cats,bats and flying witch are from a Stampendous set.  Look forward to seeing your spooky creations in our challenge.

Autumn Glory

  

This month at Stamping Sensations the challenge is  Autumn Glory, the trees are starting to turn to their lovely autumn range of colours and the leaves are falling fast too.  This month we are sponsored by Crafts Addicts who are offering a £25 pound voucher for their store.Pop along and see what they have on offer and then get stamping and enter your project or a chance to win.  Do remember we are a stamping challenge and must see stamping as the focal element, a last minute small sentiment is not what we are looking for.

My stamp this month is Daisy Thanks by Stampendous, when I was colouring it I was intending it to look like some yellow daisy flowers I have in my garden, can't remember their name unfortunately but I know they are from the sunflower family.  I coloured them with my new polychromo pencils which I am totally in love with LOL. Background is an inked embossing folder.

Believe In The Magic

Time is flying past and my Christmas card box is nowhere near full!  This is my DT card for 

Sparkles Christmas challenge, this month Sybrina has asked us to make a card for a child.

For my card I have used some stamps that were free with a magazine in August, as soon as I saw them I knew what I wanted to do with them.  , I have to admit to a bit of a weakness for Gnomes,fairies and fairy houses, luckily we have great grand daughters who are still young enough to like my fantasy cards.  Stampin Up embossing folder for the snow,sizzix stitched die for the hill, all coloured with Promarkers.  Hope you will join us in our challenge.

Merry Christmas

Well I seem to be missing all my deadlines at the moment but I'm determined to get my card into Scrappy Mo's Rudolph challenge, I've managed every month up to now so don't want to be missing out now.  I've spent three hours today at a protest meeting about building in our village after spending the morning trying to get some paint on the walls in my living room. Easy enough to do the actual painting but we have some quite large heavy furniture and DH and I have struggled to shift some of it, Joys of getting old!  Anyhow back to my card I'm not the biggest fan of die cuts but these three scene dies came free with Simply Cards And Papercrafts and were to hand so thought I try a quick card with them. Think I should have been a bit more heavy handed with the blue ink on the edges and I don't think I'll be making anymore of these but its another Christmas card in the box.

Time of my life

This time at Try It On Tuesday the challenge is for Time/clocks etc.  When I saw this challenge I was initially happy as I do have quite a collection of clock/watch stamps etc but nothing seemed to come together right.  Tonight I remembered this Lost Coast design stamp which I really like and she doesn't get out of the box enough. Stamped onto a piece of oxide ink card and cut it out, just added a bit of extra colour to her jacket.  The stencilled piece was in the never ending pile on my table as was the piece behind. The colours don't show up well on here,its more orange than pink.The words are from an old Paper Artsy set.

Welcome little one

Don't often make baby cards but had to make one recently but forgot the take a photo of it! this is one I made at the same time and didn't use. I haven't added a sentiment as I will probably add a name when I know who it's going to be for. I'd like to enter my card into Cardz4galz challenge which is welcome little baby and of course it has to be for a girl. I'd also like to enter

Daisychain challenges - In the pink

and

Sparkles monthly challenges. - die cuts or punches, I've used pram die,flower die, scallop square and stitched square dies.

I've got a friend

The new challenge at Try It On Tuesday  is "I've got a friend so lets see who your friends are, human, animal or imaginary so lots of scope there.  For my card I have used an old Paperbag Studio Stamp,must admit I was spoilt for choice with what to use but finally decided on this one.Everything except the stamped image was on my table,distress oxide paper left over from another project,piece of torn tissue paper,scraps of paper and heart shaped piece, I did die cut the thinlets swirl from another piece of the paper. The sentiment is from the bottom of the stamp.

Pretty Flamingo

  Time for September challenge at Stamping Sensations and this month we have a colour challenge for you.

Don't forget we are a Stamping Challenge and MUST see stamping as the focal point of your project, this does not not mean a small sentiment added as an afterthought ! If we do not comment it means your entry does not meet the rules of the challenge and will not be considered to be in the top five.

This is this months prize, well worth entering for.


For my card I have used a Stamp from Crafty Individuals stamped onto an distress oxide background,the flamingoes are also painted with distress oxide inks.mounted onto two different colour pieces of card which match the second and third colours on the chart, don't show up too well on here.

Christmas Animals

For challenge 80 at Sparkles Christmas, Caz has asked for Christmas Animals. My first thought was the camels and three wise men but then I decided to make a little winter scene using Cardio stamps and the deer from Inkylicious.  I havw to say my card looks better in real life as there is a lot of sparkly glitter on it,the blue mat is also glitter card.  I don't use my Cardio stamps as much as I should and then I might get a little better at making scenes with them but its a case of so many stamps so little time LOL

Stitch It

Time for another challenge at Try It On Tuesday and this time we would like you to Show Us Some Stitching (Real or faux)  I have dusted off my sewing machine for this one as I have machine stitched the top layer to the black layer and also stitched on the Ric Rac braid.   The main image is a Just Rite background stamp stamped onto an oxide distress ink background, I did have to stamp it several times in the Misti to get a half decent impression as I had also used textured card. Die cut the little dressmakers dummy and thread reel and added scraps of lace and Ric Rac. The sentiment was from a bargain bin at Port Sunlight a lot of years ago and no idea of the make.

Star Of Wonder

Time for  Scrappy Mo's Rudolph Day challenge again, comes round so quickly !   I wish you could see the sparkle on this card, the stars are all die cut from some glitter card I got in the spring at the Harrogate show, its incredibly sparkly and its also thinner than a lot of glitter cards so its easier to die cut.  All the dies and stamp are Stampin Up and I think I will be making a lot of cards with this set. I'm hoping I can get some more of the glitter card next month at the September Harrogate Show.  Its not the most wonderful show but I do know Inkylicious will be there and its worth going just to get my hands on some of their latest stamps !

Hands Off Our Village

This is one of the reasons I've not been blogging much lately, that's me hiding behind the No placard as I didn't want to be in the photo!   We've been busy campaigning, delivering leaflets etc trying to stop the building of 100 houses on land at the edge of the village, next to conservation buildings and the Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the gateway to Nidderdale.  We have already had several developments and the latest one of 57 houses at £445,000  have only sold six, wonder why !  Next time you see me I may be sitting in front of a bulldozer LOL

Navigateur

This piece of acrylic painted paper has been around on my table for a while, it was much brighter than this so I had to tone it down with gesso as it clashed with everything I tried, still not too sure its right but hey ho it's done now.  I love this Stampendous Navigator stamp and it has had a lot of use over the years..  The cargo list is Stampin Up and the anchor die was a magazine freebie, no idea who's make the compass die is. 

I'd like to enter my card into

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge  - Nautical

and

Countryview Crafts - Blue and Green

In my garden

Time for a new challenge at Try It On Tuesday and this time the theme is "In Your Garden".  I did start out with a rather complicated piece including lots of masking but it ended up a total disaster so ended up in the bin.  So my card is a very simple one this time, Inkilicious drips and splatters stamp stamped with Kaleidacolor ink(Riviera) and the Woodware Going To Seed stamped over the top with black Versafine ink. The little sentiment stamp was free with Making Cards magazine.  I carried on and made another six cards with the splats in didderent colour Kaleidacolour inks and various other
Woodware and Inkylicious plant stamps. Trying to get a bit more stock for my charity box sales.

Just because cards

 

Not feeling very motivated this week, too many other things on my mind I suppose.  While mooching about "tidying"  I came across my box full of pan pastels which I haven't used for a while, don't know why as they make fabulous coloured backgrounds in the twinkling of an eye. I've no idea what colours I used as I just pick and mix at random.  The stamps are all from Indigo Blu Victorian Garden set which was a birthday present back in April. I did some second generation stamping to give a bit of depth but it was too faint to show up on here.

I bought these Hobby Art stamps during a trip to Skipton and Embsey with our daughter. Another pan pastel background, all the stamps are Hobby Arts except the top one which is Inkylicious.  It's bit pale but I was so concerned with colouring the bird that it didn't end up looking like a canary that I maybe erred a little on the cautious.

I'd like to enter this card into Moving along with the times  - Things that Fly
and Cardz4galz - Pretty pastels

Colour your world

This month at Stamping Sensations we are sponsored by Swedish House Crafts  with a great prize of £25 voucher for the winner and tw0 runner up prizes of £10 .The challenge is one that's always a favourite :- Anything Goes.  Do remember we are a Stamping Challenge and we must see stamping as the focal point of your entry, If we  do not comment it is because you have not followed the rules of the challenge.  For my DT card this month I have coloured a piece of card with distress oxide inks and then stamped the birds on a wire stamp from Inkylicious and bleached out parts of the birds to make them fit my wording, added the dab of colour to add the word Colour.

Paris Post card

The challenge this time at Try It On Tuesday is Post Cards.  For my postcard I used a 4"x 6" piece of glossy card and covered it with distress oxide inks in Wilted Violet and Cracked Pistachio, heat dried it and then dipped it into various colours of oxides spritzed on my blending mat,drying in between each lot of colours, get a bit carried away and can go on for ever adding more layers of colour .  I stamped the Woodware Paris Collage in Wilted violet onto it,not the most successful stamping, so stamped it again on tissue and adhered the tissue to the lower half which had not stamped well.  Stamped the collage again on a piece of Brusho paper and fussy cut the butterfly,watch etc. Added a die cut Eiffel tower and a stamped postage stamp.  Lots of messing about but enjoyed making it and reasonably happy with the result.  Hope you will join us in our challenge.

Peace On Earth

Time for a new challenge at Sparkles Christmas 

and Debs has chosen "Use A Festive Sentiment as A Focal Point "  For my card I have used a die I bought last year and I think I only used it once and Stampin Up snow embossing folder. The blue background is made with one of my homemade ink sprays with a bit of gold splattering which doesn't show up too well on here.Stamped and embossed in white the Christmas verse. Hope you will join us in our challenge and get some more Christmas cards in your stash, only five months to go !

Sunny Pair

A "just because" card. I've had this Penny Black stamp for quite a while but not really used it much, don't know why as this Sunny Pair are very bright and cheerful. A very simple card, just stamped onto a stitched square, coloured with zig pens, the background paper was free with a magazine and a bit of ribbon from my stash. Didn't add a sentiment as I don't know what I will use this card for.

I'd like to enter it into Penny Black Friends Saturday Challenge - Flowers and

City Crafters Challenge -something beginning with S   - Sunflowers

Believe In The Magic

Another month almost over and it's time for Rudolph Day challenge once again. For my card I have used two Crafty Individuals stamps, wording and snowflakes from a freebie stamp set.  Background paper made with home made ink sprays made from some cheap metallic paints I got from The Works ages ago. I'd also like to enter my card into The Holly and The Ivy Christmas Challenge which is always Anything Goes

Let It Shine

The new challenge at Try It On Tuesday starting today is "Let It Shine "  . For my piece I decided to go with bright sunny colours and colourful flowers.  Created the background with distress inks and added the stencilled sun rays with the darker of the two colours, think it was spiced marmalade. Stamped the Woodware long,tall flowers across the lower part of the card and painted the with distress inks. Added my little painted butterfly and the computer generated words. Hope to see you on our challenge this time.

Sea Scape

I wached Jean from Crafty Individuals on Hochanda last week and she made some background papers for Christmas cards with acrylic paints, as I have most of the stamps she used on the show I thought I'd give it a go, however mine were decidedly not Christmas by the time I'd finished !  I then thought I'd seen a challenge for something to do with sea so ended up using some of the papers for making this card.The background is a cover a card stamp by Impression Obsessions,the porthole was free with a magazine and the galleon is Stampin up.Few torn bits of the painted paper for the waves and a die cut anchor.Looked for the challenge I'd seen and it had finished, about right for me ! However I would like to enter my card into Make My Monday challenge which is Holidays/travel, hope it fits their criteria ?

Butterfly

I had been die cutting some Sizzix/ Stamping up butterflies for something else I was working on and had several pieces of white card with the outline of the butterfly cut out, also had cut more of the lacy butterfly than I needed (just in case, as you do ) rather than waste the negative pieces I thought I would see what it looked like with a piece of coloured card behind,looked a bit bare so added the white lacy one over the top and loved it, so went ahead and found some pretty satin card to use.

Used my tonic square dies to cut the white "waste" into a neat square and also to cut the blue/teal ? square. Made some antenna out of little strips of card and cut a body out in the coloured card too.

I stamped "just because "in the top corner and then decided to add "its your birthday "in the lower corner,wished I hadn't as it didn't stamp too well, thank you "Misty" for restamping it for me even if it is still a bit blotchy LOL

I would like to enter my card into Cardz4Galz challenge - butterflies

Happy Little Stampers - anything goes with dies

and

Crafting with dragonflies - punches/dies

Keeper

Saw that Fashionable Stamping challenge that has just started is Gone Fishing, first thought was to make a masculine card but then ,looking at the DT samples , one of them had used an Artistic Outpost stamp and it reminded I have the Keeper set of stamps that I have never used. Stamped the girl onto an oxide ink background, added a bit more vegetation and a couple of fish, added to another inky background piece made using the same colours and with a bit if meshy stuff ( I really don't know what this stuff is, there was a big roll of it in an old first aid box but its great for adding to cards !)

Fashionable Stamping - Gone Fishing

Thats Crafty Challenge - Anything goes

Fashionista

The challenge at Try It On Tuesday this time is to make a tag, either stand alone or as part of a project. I had got out of the habit of making tags so faffed around for a while thinking what I could use.  .I stamped and white embossed the background wording and then coloured the tag with oxide inks.  I tore a piece from a serviette to create the Paris background.Stamped,embossed and coloured the runway girl ,added a piece of lace and a black bow and mounted the tag on to a piece of black card, was rather happy at how it turned out .  

Its all about flowers

This month at Stamping Sensations the challenge is Anything With Flowers so lots of scope  to burst into bloom !  We are sponsored this month by Crafty Individuals who are offering a fantastic prize of £35 to spend in their shop

Although I have to admit I have a drawer full of CI Stamps I was surprised to find I had very few flower ones but for my top card I used one of my favourites, such a pretty stamp. I stamped in Versafine over a piece of Oxide ink paper left over from another card,used a bit of bleach to lift the colour from some of the flowers and added a bit of colour.  For my second card I got a bit carried away with the background,distress inks,stencilling,stamping etc.The two flower pieces were stamped and embossed in black  and coloured with markers.

Thanks for looking and I hope to see you joining in with our challenge this month.

Christmas Ornament

Time for a new challenge at Sparkles Christmas and Mary has asked to see an ornament  either on a project or an actual ornament.  The Design team have some very different ideas to inspire you.  A few (or maybe quite a lot!) of years ago medallion stamps were all the rage and I made loads of cards with them.  This was always my favourite one and I found the ready made medallion in a box along with a few others in different colours. They were quite time consuming to make, five layers on this one,apart from the gold layer they are all  painted with Pearl Ex.  The background is an embossing folder ,no name on it but think it is creative expressions then mounted on a piece of blue pearlised card.  Hope you will join us in our challenge this month and add another Christmas card to your stash (less than six month to go you know ! )

On The Beach

Well it's been far from beach weather here today, rained continually now for two days and tonight was really windy too, rain beating on the windows, had to put the central heating back on, not flaming June for sure.  I made my little tag for Tag Tuesdays challenge of Seaside.  Sloshed (technical term!) on some Paperartsy acrylic paints quite thickly, adding bits of white for the breakers,added some Taupe frantage for the shingle. Don't know why they give the frantage colour names as everyone I have used just comes out gold despite shaking it up.  I don't know the name of the stamp of the children as it belongs to a friend and I had stamped a few up ages ago,coloured them with watercolour pencils and stamped the Inkilicious birds in the sky.

Tag Tuesday  -    The Beach

Snowy cottage in the woods

Just been playing with a, new to me, stamp from Crafty Individuals. Tried stamping it in various colours,this one is versafine smokey gray, just a few little touches of colour and lots of glitter,piece of star embossed blue card and a surround of silver glitter card, if I make more of these would probably add a sentiment.

This one actually looks a lot better in real life, stamped with encore blue ink, embossing folder inked with the same colour.  I like the top one better but the actual image stamped in blue is lovely, just needs a less busy background I think.

I'd like to enter the first card into Mo's June Rudolph challenge