Colour notes

Hello, crafting friends!

 

Have you joined in with the colour challenge at The Flower Challenge this month?  Why not give it a go? 

 

All you need to do is create a floral card using these colours. I love this palette and couldn't wait to make another card using it.

 

Believe it or not, my clean and simple note card was made with a balloon stencil and a Christmas stamp set as well as my favourite leafy stencil! Love stretching my craft supplies!

 

I took a thick card base and started by sponging pale blue ink into the circular balloon from Uniko's Balloon Bash stencil, masking off the balloon tie bit with a sticky note.  The sentiment, from The Greetery's Pine Blossom, was stamped in the centre. There are two sizes of leaf on Uniko's Nature's Treasure stencil and I used them both, positioning them above and below my sentiment circle and sponging with green ink.

 

I used water-based markers in pinks and peaches to ink up some of the pretty flowers from the Pine Blossom set. Once they were stamped, I blended the colours with a colourless blender pen, adding detail with a green coloured pencil and a white paint pen. Finally, the flowers were fussy cut and attached to the leaf stems.

Okay, now it's over to you! Do hop over to the Flower Challenge challenge blog and check out the amazing samples the design team has made to inspire you. When you're ready to share your own floral creation, use the blue Linky button at the bottom of the challenge post. We can't wait to see what you make!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking up with the latest Beautiful Blossoms challenge with this card.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Thank you for bearing with me during this busy time when I'm still not finding much time for crafting. Eva's paw is taking its time healing so I am still walking the pups separately, as well as looking after this beautiful lady:

 

But I do have another post going live later on today as it's my turn to be on the Tic Tac Toe Challenge team. It's like waiting for ages for a bus and then a load of them turn up all at once!!

Sending hugs,

More love and prayers

Hello, crafting friends!

 

Today I found that clearing away my crafty things can be a very inspiring thing to do! Lying around on my table were SU's Banners For You stamp set and the lovely Studio Light sentiment I used to make THIS card, and there were plenty of scraps of white card stock too. The housework needed doing but I asked the Golden Girls and they agreed that hoovering is over-rated, so I made this card instead:

 

I've been moving away from clean and simple cards over the last year or so but I loved making this simple note card. The card base was cut down to a square from a ruined standard A6 base and I stamped the sentiment in the centre.

 

The two different flowers from the set were stamped on scraps of card and fussy cut, then I added a bit of shading with a coloured pencil at the base of the petals. I wanted the flowers to be dimensional so the trickiest thing about this card was adding teensy bits of dimensional tape to the backs of the flowers! I finished off with some enamel dots in navy - although my screen has decided they're black :|

CHALLENGES

I'm off to The Snippets Playground with this card. I have put my armbands on because I bet the paddling pool is out and we can do splashy canonballs from the treehouse while Miss isn't looking! At ATCAS Helen's code word is Nature, so I'm joining in there too.

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

My little Eva has a poorly paw again. I am so frustrated! Her nailbed infection cleared up beautifully and we went back to romping about in the countryside, but because the toe had been shaved, it left her vulnerable to grass seeds getting stuck between those toes. I'm frustrated because I am hyper aware of the potential for this to happen and have been checking both dogs' paws after walks. How did I miss it?

 

Eva is perfectly cheerful and can be seen here chopping up some sticks before distributing them around the garden, but she's back on lead-only walks so I'm walking the dogs separately again. They enjoy the one-to-one attention but I am struggling for time at the moment and crafting has become a very special treat these days!

Sending hugs,

An Oxide Experiment

Hello, crafting friends!

 

I had some time to play today so I brought out my new distress oxide inks, a present from my youngest son. He is not only very good at getting me to waffle on about my latest craft enthusiasms, but is also a total nerd who became very excited himself when told about the reactive nature of these hybrid inks!

 

I know I'm late to the distress oxide party but I was particularly excited about the opacity of the ink. It means light colours show up on darker card, and this card was an experiment to see what would happen if I used the inks with a stencil. I chose a dark yellow card for my background panel and blended Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry inks into Uniko's Gerbera stencil. I added Squeezed Lemonade to the seeds in the flower centre and also sponged a little round the edges of the panel.

 

After that, I masked the flower and added some stamped lines (but wish I had used a tone on tone dark yellow instead of the black!) The sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Simply Said fits nicely in the lines though :) Before mounting the panel on a card base, I sponged Spun Sugar ink round the edges of the card front. The card was embellished with some delicate iridescent sequins from SU.

 

CHALLENGES

I used Hannelie's Yellow and Pink palette at Color Hues so I'm linking up there; also at the Stencil Fun Challenge where there's an optional theme of Spring/Flowers; The Sisterhood of Crafters' latest challenge is Showers or Flowers which amused me :D

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Drier weather has come at last and I am giddy with it! The golden girls and I are able to do longer walks and there's no need for any spa baths or even foot baths. What more could we ask for?

 

Perhaps, says Lulu, we could get a real puppy...? Don't tempt me Lulu, don't tempt me!!!

Sending hugs,

Floral notes

Hello, crafting friends!

 

There's a new colour challenge in Blogland! It's called AAA Colourful and is the sister challenge to AAA Cards and AAA Birthday which we all know and love. The challenges start mid-month and close on the 14th so there's time to join in. Come on you crafters - let's show some support!

 

I missed the first challenge but here is the mood board for this month and I couldn't resist these gorgeous colours. Here's what I made:

 

There was a discarded piece of white card that had been die cut with an Arch die on my table, so I stamped it with Waffle Flower's Poppy Hawthorn stamp set which was also out on my desk. (Do you think I should clear up?!) I coloured the flowers with Arteza  watercolour brush pens (also out on my table!!) and left the panel to dry.

 

Meanwhile, I trimmed a piece of Stampin' Up gingham DSP to size and glued it to a card base, adding a coordinating strip of card on the top. The dry floral panel was stamped with a sentiment and a line and secured to the card front with dimensional pads.

CHALLENGES

I'll be linking this card up at AAA Colourful :)

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Eva has disgraced herself I'm afraid. We went for a walk at a location we haven't been to for a long time and she was so excited she had a little roll in something very foxy indeed. The drive home was a little er, 'fragrant' and I don't think my OH will be coming out with us again for a while! After a full shampoo and blow dry, normal nasal service was resumed, but Eva looked like this:

 

Sending hugs,

Spring in the meadow

Hello, crafting friends!

 

Spring is really on its way now and I am so inspired by all the pretty colours in the garden. There are lots of card challenges celebrating flowers and spring too so I rolled up my sleeves and joined in.

 

This fabulous floral is from Waffleflower's Bouquet Builder 3 that I was lucky enough to find as a bargain recently. I stamped the large image off the edge of a panel of watercolour paper that I'd trimmed with a Hemstitch die from Spellbinders.

 

I used a lightish neutral coloured ink and then coloured the image with Arteza watercolour brush pens - yes, they were out on my table again!

 

The sentiment is such a pretty one from The Greetery's Pine Blossom - a set that just keeps on giving in my opinion!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up at Addicted to CAS where Toni has chosen Bloom as her word prompt; also Little Red Wagon where Chrissy's theme is Florals; Sarah is hosting Allsorts for a two week challenge and has opted for an optional challenge of Keep it Simple; Cathy wants to see Feminine cards at We Love Stamping, and Spring is in the Air at Stamping Sensations, so I'm also joining in there too. Finally, as this floral stamp is Never Before Used Schtuff, I'm twirling over to Darnell's NBUS Challenge.

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

I did ask the golden girls if they'd like to watch me do some more crafting this afternoon but they decided they'd rather go for a long muddy walk instead. I know who is in charge in this house so I doffed my cap and scurried off to fetch the leads!

 

Here they are, fresh out of the river! They don't look very cheerful do they, but the expressions on their faces represent pure concentration because they know that when I've stopped mucking about with cameras, I am going to be saying those beautiful words that every pup longs to hear:

"Are you hungry?"

Sending hugs,

A drop of golden sun

Hello, crafting friends!

 

Happy Saturday and welcome to a fabulous new challenge at Addicted to CAS! Helen is at the helm for the next two weeks and she has chosen this code word:

 

Shades of one colour are always fun to work with aren't they! In a bid to bring a little brightness into my life, I've gone with shades of yellow and a sunshine motif for this note card.

 

After masking off the edges of my card base with low tack tape, I sponged pale yellow ink into Clearly Besotted's Sunny Day stencil, using a slightly darker ink towards the bottom of the card. Once the tape was removed, I added a sentiment.

 

 

First, I stamped the word 'sunshine' from Concord & 9th's Hello Sunshine stamp set in a darker yellow ink. Then I cut the word 'hello' using a die from Funky Fossil and coloured it ombré fashion with alcohol markers before gluing it above the word 'sunshine'. A few shiny enamel dots and the card was done.

Okay, now it's your turn to come up with a clean and simple monochrome card! Do hop over to the Addicted to CAS challenge blog and check out the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the design team. You'll find the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post and you can use it to link up your own creation with us. We can't wait to see what you make!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up at  Addicted to Stamps and More where the theme is Die Cuts and Stencils; at Try It On Tuesday, the challenge is to Use A Stencil so I'm joining in there; and also last but not least, Lil Red Wagon's challenge is to make a Clean and Simple project.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The weather is still a little erratic in the heart of England but we have had some sunshine and it is looking green and lush out in the countryside. Here's a photo of my second favourite golden girl springing out of the undergrowth...

Always full of the joys of spring that one - whatever the season!!

Sending hugs,

Rustic Garden

Hello, crafting friends!

The delicate little flowers on today's card are made with my favourite crafty item at the moment - the Botanicuts Wildflower Mix dies from The Greetery. They are quite fiddly but absolutely addictive!

 

 

I coloured my flowers with sponge daubers before glueing them together.

 

To showcase my flowers, I used a kraft card base and cut a matching panel using one of the Nordic Frame dies, also from The Greetery. I made a background by scribbling on the panel with a white watercolour crayon then glued the flowers on it in a curve. 

 

Finally, I stamped a sentiment from an old Stampin' Up set and popped up another sentiment from Uniko's Floral Vines over the top of it.

CHALLENGES

I've been wanting to join in with The Flower Challenge's Use Your Latest Stamps/Dies theme all month and think I will just get this card in before the deadline!

AND IN OTHER NEWS

I have become very, very fond of this little cutie!

 

He's quite a dignified chap who turns into a little babe when he falls asleep!

Sending hugs,

Autumn sunflowers

Hello, crafting friends!

 

Welcome to another fun challenge at Tic Tac Toe! Betty has come up with a board that will cover any halloween cards you may be making but that may also inspire you for autumn birthdays, thank you cards and note cards.

 

I've chosen the middle row for my note card, Orange/Free/Fall Leaves, choosing an older favourite stamp from Clearly Besotted called Sending Sunshine.

 

Using diluted ink, I painted a pale orange background on watercolour paper. When it was dry, the flowers and leaves were stamped in a neutral ink and coloured with oil based pencils. I smeared the edges of a card base with orange ink before attaching the panel to it. I could've added an orange card mount but this technique gives the same effect without any bulk.

 

I stamped a sentiment directly on the panel using a stamping platform but, can you believe, it went wonky! I think I may need to book myself in for an eye test as this seems to be a recurring event for me!! Anyway, I rescued it with a strip of black card and a block sentiment from Uniko glued ever the top.

Okay, it's over to you! Which column or row will you choose? Or will you opt for one of the diagonals? Do hop over to the Tic Tac Toe challenge blog and check out all the wonderful inspiration from my teamies. You'll find the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post and you can use it to share your own creation when you're ready. We can't wait to see what you make!

CHALLENGES

It's always lovely to celebrate a challenge's birthday and this month marks the 6th birthday of The Flower Challenge - congratulations to Viv and her team! The theme this month is Use A Sentiment; I'm also linking up with Allsorts where Lynn has chosen Gardeners' Delight as her theme; I'm also playing along with the Octoberfest challenge at Double D where I think my sunflowers qualify as an October motif; and there's an Any Occasion challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More so I'm joining in there too.

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The Golden Girls have been having fun together again! Here they are at a kissing gate - you know, the kind that you hold open halfway so that the dogs can wind their way through.

 

Well, Lulu was adamant that she was not going through that Bad Gate at first! "No," she said. "If I go in there, the gate will close on me and I will probably DIE!!!" We solved the problem by having Eva model the through-the-gate action to get Lulu wanting to follow, and then I coaxed her through, getting her nose to follow my fingers that were holding a morsel of cheese. "Absolutely NO!" she said. "Not even if you ARE holding cheese... mmmmm, oh all right then!" and she whisked through :)

Sending hugs,

Hello autumn!

And hello, crafting friends!

 

Today, OH wandered out of his office at lunchtime and announced that he wanted a fairly neutral postcard to send in the post and did I have anything suitable? I had a rummage but couldn't find what he wanted, so I said those words, thrilling for any crafter: "I COULD quickly make something for you!"

 

So I pulled out the Berry Branch stencil from The Greetery (which I've been dying to play with!) and came up with this quick creation. I used a thick card panel and masked off the edges with low-tack tape. I positioned the stencil over the top, securing with more tape and set to work with sponge daubers, inks, markers and coloured pencils.

 

When the stencil was removed, I added more detail, including gold dots on the larger leaves, and white highlights on the berries. The sentiment is a favourite die from Funky Fossil. I die cut it from terracotta card and glued it to a white panel to make it pop - and oh look! Another way to use my new nesting arch dies!

CHALLENGES

Darlene and Diane, two of the most energetic crafters in Blogland have come up with a fabulous new monthly challenge: The Stencil Fun Challenge - do take a look! It's Anything Goes with optional themes (this month it's Halloween Colours.) I'm linking up there and also at another wonderful challenge they run, The Four Seasons Challenge, where this month the theme is Anything Goes Fall. The Paper Players are also looking at the changing seasons with this week's Autumn challenge and Joanne wants to know what the season means to you (see my thoughts below!) To celebrate the first use of The Berry Branch stencil, I'm joining in with the NBUS challenge where Darnell wants to see our Never Before Used Schtuff!

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

As a dog walker, I see the changing seasons unfold at close quarters. In every season God's extraordinary creation fills me with amazement in all its incredible detail, but there's no doubt that the pups are much more comfortable in the cooler weather - especially the extra floofy ones like my lovely girl :)

 

Today, there was a warm wind blowing and we stayed out for hours. Here's Autumnal Eva (looking slightly embarrassed because she thought we were going the other way!)

Sending hugs,