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 arch of sympathy

Hello, crafting friends!

 

I hope you're having a great weekend and are ready to join in with another clean and simple challenge at Addicted to CAS :) Vicki is hosting this week and she has chosen Sympathy as her code word. 

 

If you've visited my blog any time this week, you may have noticed that I'm completely obsessed with my new Mistletoe Arches stencil set from The Greetery... and yes, I'm still using it today!

 

The full arch is a bit full on for a CAS card, so I just taped over the lower parts of the stencil and just inked in the top of the arch (if you try this, use low tack tape and be very careful when removing it so that you don't damage your stencil.)

 

I chose blue and grey inks and stamped the beautiful sentiment from Waffleflower's Lighthouse stamp set in black. Finally, I stenciled the berries using a silver pencil and added details with markers.

Okay, it's over to you! Do hop over to the Addicted to CAS challenge blog to check out the gorgeous samples my teamies have made to inspire you. 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. Don't forget to keep your card nice and clean and simple with lots of nice clear space - but above all, have fun!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking up at the Happy Little Stampers challenge where Anything Stenciled Goes; and also Less is More where there's a Recipe challenge and the theme is Use a Stencil.

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

I love it when people add seasonal touches to their shops and cafés. This little door mat appeared outside one of my favourite cafés this week.

Sending hugs,

Sombre Succulents

Hello, crafting friends!

 

I had a quick, clean and simple crafty session this morning. I made a sympathy card which, thank goodness, I don't need, but which fits the mood here in England.

 

This is a very quick card - in fact the most amount of time was spent re-inking my black ink pad before I started! I positioned the spray from Uniko's Happy Succulents over the top of a nice, thick card base and stamped it repeatedly using my stamp positioner to get a good, crisp impression. The card was finished with a sentiment from Simply Said Blocks, also from Uniko, and I coloured the seed heads in with a fineliner pen.

 

 

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up with AAA Cards where the theme is No-Layer Syympath; also Less is More where the challenge is to make a CAS black and white card.

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The temperatures have dropped in the heart of England and it's time to clear up the garden a little and trim the hedges - if a Certain Someone might move themselves please!!

 

My darling Eva looks a little sombre in this photo doesn't she, but I can assure you she is just playing to the gallery. She has opened her eyes but is basically saying that she's not moving because she's in the middle of a snoozle thanks very much and needs her beauty sleep. I might also add that she has a variety of beds and sofas to sleep on but prefers to nap on the cold, hard paving stones!

Sending hugs,

Watery water lilies

Hello, crafting friends!

 

Happy Saturday to you and welcome to some crafting fun courtesy of Addicted to CAS! I am in charge of the hostess trolley for the next two weeks and I hope you will come and join me :) The word I've chosen to inspire you is Water.

Yes, I invite you to have a good old rummage about in your stash for anything watery! Here's my take on it:

A sympathy card for my stash - not one I actually need, thank goodness. I started by masking off a rectangular area on a card panel and sponging blue-green inks into it, fading out towards the bottom. After wetting my hands with water and clapping over the inked area, I left the panel to dry before removing the mask. Meanwhile, the flower image was stamped in pale blue on a scrap of card, coloured with coloured pencils and fussy cut.

I trimmed the card panel to size with a stitched rectangle die by Heffy Doodle and cut the edge of the water lily image with the same die. The image was lined it up with the edge of the panel over the inked section. The sentiment is from Waffleflower's Lighthouse, stamped in a dark green, and I added a few pearls before attaching the panel to a card base.

So now it's your turn. Do hop over to the Addicted to CAS blog to check out all the wonderful samples my teamies have made to inspire you. You'll find the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post and can use it to link up your own creation when you're ready. Have fun - and don't forget to keep your cards nice and clean and simple!

CHALLENGES

I'm joining in with the Anything Goes challenge at Retro Rubber with this card. I can't find the release date of the stamp set I used but I've had it for several years and it wasn't a new when I bought it! I'm also linking up at Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge where the theme is Water.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

A friend of mine thought I could do with a chuckle the other day and sent me this info on the latest 'designer' breeds of dog:

Hope it makes you laugh too :)

Sending hugs,

Feeling so sad

Hello, crafting friends!

 

Welcome to another Tuesday and another fun challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches. The always-inspiring Joanne has created a beautiful sketch for us this week:

It came at just the right time for me as I had a sympathy card to make. I started by stamping the countryside image from Clearly Besotted's Scene it More onto a good thick card base in neutral ink. I masked around the scene with sticky notes and coloured it with coloured pencils.

A setting sun works as a subtle version of the circular image on the sketch and I added a sentiment, stamped on a scrap of card, snipped out and popped up on a dimensional strip. The birds add a little movement to the scene - they've been a well-used part of a Lighthouse set by Waffleflower.

Okay, now it's your turn - and there's lots of scope with this versatile sketch! Do check out the inspiration from the rest of the team at the CAS Colours and Sketches challenge site. You'll find the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post so that you can share your own creation with us. We can't wait to see what you make!

CHALLENGES

I think I'm just in time to join in with Perfectly CAS where the theme is Sympathy Cards using 1/3rd or less of a card front; I'm also joining in at Watercooler Wednesday where Tristan is hosting the All About Occasions this fortnight; this card is suitable for males so I am also playing along at Allsorts this week where Tracy has chosen From Boys To Men as her theme.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The sympathy card is for my brother in law and his family. They have lost their beloved family dog and are all devastated. For those who think 'it's just a dog', I can assure you that the relationships we form with our dogs are incredibly close - they are absolutely members of our families. My heart is broken for them.

Rest in peace sweet Pepper.

Sending hugs,

Passiflora on stripes

Hello, crafting friends!

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for another refreshing challenge from CAS Colours and Sketches! October is my hosting month which means I get to choose a colour palette today.

This is a favourite autumn colour scheme of mine although of course it can also be used for festive cards or any other kind of occasion! I used it to make a card to cheer up a friend who is going through a tough time.

I started by stamping the striped background from Uniko, using my stamping platform to get a good clear impression from the navy ink.

Next I stamped the floral elements and fussy cut them (madness I know - there are dies for saner crafters!) For extra detail, I pulled a little of the Razzleberry ink into the petals with a damp paintbrush. Then I set my botanicals aside while I dealt with the sentiment.

I used a pretty 'you are in my thoughts' from Mama Elephant, using my stamping platform again and two colours of ink. Finally, the flowers, leaves and bud were arranged over the stripes.

Okay, so now it's your turn! Do hop over to the CAS Colours and Sketches challenge site to check out the beautiful inspiration from the design team. You'll find the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post and can use it to link up your own creation. I'm looking forward to a gorgeous gallery this week!

PS If you love this challenge, you may be interested to know there's a Design Team Call going on! Check out the details on the site!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up with The Flower Challenge where the theme is Use a Shape (my shape is the rectangular background made up of rectangular stripes.) This challenge is also celebrating its 5th birthday - so congratulations are in order *pop goes the champagne cork* I'm also joining in at Darnell's NBUS Challenge which is the place to share your Never Before Used Schtuff. The background and the flowers are new-to-me stamps from Uniko :)

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Eva has a new pal staying over. He reminds me of a child at Playgroup who was unusually tall for his age; I remember his mum telling me in despair that everyone expected him to behave like an older child because of that. At only 8 months this pup is the same size as Eva and into everything! I have been firm but fair and he is learning the ropes very quickly, but I'm afraid I made a rookie error last night. I dropped a roast potato on the floor while serving dinner and although I retrieved it quickly, I foolishly put it at the back of the kitchen counter while I took dinner to the table. When I came back it had gone and he was looking as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth - although I suspect a roast potato just had!!

Sending hugs,

Sunset with sympathy

Hello, crafting friends!

Are you looking to be challenged today? Well, there's a fabulous new challenge at Addicted to CAS today - and I should know because I chose it ;) Yes, I'm the host for the next two weeks and here is the codeword:

So many options for this! You could choose a sunny sky, a cloudy sky, a stormy sky, a sky full of rainbows, birds, unicorns,  pigs... well you get the idea! I've gone for an evening sky, glowing with colour from the setting sun.

It was very easy to make. I painted a piece of watercolour paper with clear water, added lines of purple, orange and red inks with a paint brush and watched them blend and blur into each other. When the paper was dry, I stamped plant silhouettes along the bottom using Uniko's Just Because and Funky Fossil's In the Meadow stamp sets.

I used a stitched label die from The Works to cut my scene out and attached it to a card base. The sentiment from Uniko's Simply Said Blocks, was stamped, heat embossed with clear embossing powder and snipped out. I cut one side with the label die so that it would have the same stitching detail as the frame. The card was finished with a few clear dots.

Okay, so now it's your turn! My team mates have some wonderful inspiration over at the Addicted to CAS blog and we are lucky enough to have the talented Ma Mi guesting with us too. Do go and have a look there and you'll also find the Linky Tool where you can link up your own card. I can't wait to see the gallery filling up with beautiful skies for the next two weeks, but don't forget to keep your creations nice and clean and simple!

EDITED TO ADD AN AWARD

This card was chosen as the Rock Star at Watercooler Wednesday!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up at Dawn's All About Occasions challenge at Watercooler Wednesday. I'm also playing along at Happy Little Stampers Watercolour challenge where Anything Goes.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

We've been enjoying sunshine and blue skies this last week and have returned to our favourite river walks. All the mud from that horrible wet winter has dried up but of course Eva has an inbuilt radar and will find mud even when there doesn't appear to be any!

In this photo I'm encouraging her to go swimming in order to get the worst of it off! She would normally be in that water like a shot but is toying with me on this occasion: "I'm not certain I'm in the mood for a dip today..." You'll be glad to know that we got there in the end - and I didn't even have to resort to giving her a push!!

Sending hugs,

Thinking of you in black and white

Hello, crafting friends!

Something very simple from me today - one layer and black and white. You can't get more pared back than that can you!

I've been using more of my new Uniko goodies! This stamp set is Happy Succulents and it's been on my wish list for a long time!

I stamped the largest image directly onto a card base in black ink and gave some of the leaves stripes with a black fineliner. I used my Posca white acrylic paint pen to colour the large flower and other details.

That gorgeous sentiment is from Beautiful Branches by Concorde & 9th. When I stamped it, I left room for a little bud and leaf which I coloured as I did the main image. Finally I added a doodled frame with my fineliner and called the card done!

CHALLENGES

I'm playing along with Color Hues where the current challenge is Black and White. I've not used this stamp set before so I'll also share at NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff)

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Excitement mounts here as the weather forecast is predicting temperatures more commonly seen in the summer months for the next three days. Eva and I will be in the garden pretending to be on holiday!

Sending hugs,

Peaceful waterlilies

Hello, crafting friends!

Is there anywhere more peaceful than a river or natural pond, decked with waterlilies and buzzing with the sounds of dragonflies and with the occasional splash of a frog or a fish? That is the scene I've tried to conjure up today.

The stamps are from The Craft Consortium's Riverbank set. I used Stampin' Up Shaded Spruce ink to stamp the waterlilies and pads along the bottom of a card panel, then loosely watercoloured it with the same ink, a paint brush and some water. Once it was dry, I added detail with a jade coloured pencil.

The panel was trimmed with a Heffy Doodle Stitched Rectangle die, then I cut the centre out using an ornate label die from The Works. I glued the frame to a card base and replaced the centre. This is one of my favourite ways to add detail to a clean and simple card as you end up with a stitched detail frame, which doesn't add bulk or distract the eye too much. I used the same ink to stamp a sympathy sentiment from Uniko's Simply Said Blocks, snipped it out and glued it to the card. To finish the card I added some clear dots.

CHALLENGES

I was inspired by the list at Festive Frida, choosing Green, Lily pads and Water so I'm joining in there; I'm also linking up with The Rainbow Card Challenge where the colour theme this month is Judiciously Jade; and Stamping Sensations where they want to see monochromatic cards.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Whenever I see waterlilies, memories come flooding back of visiting my daughter in Paris when she lived there for a year while studying French and English at university. We had gone to the Musée de l'Orangerie first thing in the morning to see Monet's famous paintings and I had been absolutely blown away because nothing had prepared me for how enormous some of them were and the mesmerising effects of them.

Source: Pinterest

In our family we always call great works of art 'drorrings on the wall'. This is because when he was little, my eldest son came back from a school trip to a stately home full of admiration for the 'drorrings on the wall' which turned out to be stately oil paintings mounted in ornate gilt frames!

Sending hugs,