Adventure Awaits

 Good morning and a very happy Thursday!  Today I'm back at Country View Crafts with my second project for our Monochromatic challenge.

This time I've made a card for my brother-in-law as he and my sister have a beloved camper van.

I started with a Brusho background in shades of blue, and added some stenciling with the AALL & Create world map and circle stencils. I then stamped the wonderful AALL camper stamp. I loved how it looked but didn't feel that the image stood out enough.

So I stamped it again on some thick vellum. I tore round the edges and embossed it in some ancient Moon Glow Two Tone embossing powder. Honestly I must have had this at least 15 years but it only comes out on special occasions lol. I also coloured some bits underneath with blue and white pencils to highlight them.

I wanted to highlight the turtle and van windows further so I added some Glossy Accents. Maybe not the best of ideas 'cos it really made the vellum warp (OK I did put rather a lot on) I attached this over the original card with brads through the wheels and it actually looks quite nice now - the warping seems to give it a bit of movement so we'll pretend that that was part of the plan!

Before I added the vellum I put back the two stencils and put through some Izink Ice just to make the design stand out a little more.

This is what I've used.

Distress Ink

Distress Oxides

AALL & Create Stamps

AALL & Create Stencils

Izink

I hope you have a lovely day whatever you are doing, take care, and thanks so much for looking x

Blossom & Bloom

Good morning and a very happy Friday. Today I'm over at Country View Towers with my second project for our "Add A Stencil Or Two" challenge, and this time I've made a card.

Again I've used my long-neglected AALL & Create stamps.

I started by making a couple of inky backgrounds with my stencils and Distress Oxides. On the top one, I've inked through in the traditional way.

And on this one, I've inked the actual stencil, sprayed with water, and then laid on the page.

Then I've stamped the lovely Tracy Evans A4 stamp. Look away now if you're easily offended, 'cos I've actually cut the stamp in half so that it fits on my stamping platform! I've also held the paper down with masking tape as they are such 'sucky' stamps that they always want to bring the paper up with them. Well not this time lol!

These are my lovely stamps and stencils. The AALL & Create stamps can be found here in the store. 

To finish, I've used another of Tracy's stamps to pop up a centre for the flower. Again I've not added a sentiment yet as I'm not sure who will be receiving this. I also found paint chips in my stash (don't ask!) that matched the background colours so on they went!

I've really enjoyed using these stamps and definitely won't leave it so long next time.

Have a very happy day whatever you are doing, take care, and thanks so much for looking xx

Get Your Happy On!

 Good morning and a very happy Wednesday! We've been enjoying some lovely Spring weather here in the UK, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and there is a steady hum of not bees, but power tools! It seems like everyone around us is cleaning their drive with a jet wash!

#Edit - I wrote this on Sunday - since then we've had continuous fog, that'll teach me to brag about the UK weather!!!

Anyhoo, today I'm over at the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground with my trio of Rolodex cards. I'm really enjoying these at the moment. I don't have a big family, so don't need endless cards, so I just used to make 'stuff' Then, at the end of the year, I would have to throw all this 'stuff' away 'cos I was drowning in it! These cards are big enough to be interesting, yet you can store hundreds in a teeny tiny space. Winner winner chicken dinner!

Can you see the shadow on the doe (a deer, a female deer)? I actually took this photograph outside!!! I think it's the first time this year we've had enough sunshine - I live in the North of England, it's a real thing!

#there I go again about the weather - you can't even see outside now 'cos of the FOG!!!

I really went back to basics for these, the old Distress Inks and blending tool!

Then I added some stamping with my Katzelkraft stamps and Distress Oxides.

The images have been coloured with watered down distress markers and the odd dash of Glossy Accents.

This rabbit was why I had to have this set, isn't he handsome!

I love this deer, but oh my word, cutting out those antlers! These have been triple embossed so they are nice and sturdy. Nobody wants a floppy antler!

These are my stamps, the sentiments are great fun! Dot has a huge range here in the store, the only problem is, I want them all!

So, it's time for you now to join in with us. Just use any stamps from ranges that Dot sells and you could win the stamp of your choice from the store.

Thanks so much for looking, take care, and have a great week x

You're Having A Giraffe!

 Good morning and a very Happy New Year! Hands up those who are delighted to see the back of 2020 -  yes me too! So it's a new month, a new year, and a new challenge over at Country View Crafts, and to kick us off, Corrie has chosen the challenge, which is to use one or more squares on our projects. I've made a birthday card as I need my first one for the year in a couple of days!

I had an idea in my head that I wanted to make a tropical kind of background, so I pulled out my square inkpads in yellow, orange, and browns and splodged away! I've had the VersaColour ones since time began, so I thought they might have dried out. Of course, it was the strongest, darkest, juiciest one in existence, and just to make sure I wasn't imagining things, I splodged it again doh! Never mind I'm sure something will cover it up.

Next, I used all the background stamps from the Pink Ink Giraffe stamp set along with my Distress Oxides to add a bit more colour. At this point I'm thinking "what a mess, and I wish I had a Plan B"

So, I trimmed it all down and added a die-cut frame.  I stamped and watercoloured my giraffe, and popped her out of the frame with foam pads. I added a few die cut leaves, and used my favourite Tim Holtz dies for the sentiment. I'd triple embossed this to make it nice and shiny, but some embossing powder had got underneath too so it really didn't want to stick down. I mean, really, really, didn't want to grrrrrr!

Anyway, once I'd cleared away the 10 different types of glue that I'd used - did I mention that it didn't want to stick?? I added an acetate jacket, just because I like acetate and it's not like I hadn't already spent 2 days on a card that didn't want to stick!!!

Told you I'd cover the brown blob up somehow, here's a well-placed giraffe!

I really like how this turned out in the end, and I hope the recipient does too. She'd better, or it's the Card Factory for her next year!

Please join in with our challenge, you don't have to make it as hard for yourself as I did, just show us your squares.

Take care, and have a very happy new year! 

Made To Stand Out

 Good morning and a very happy Wednesday. Today I'm over at the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground with my first project for this month.

A little while ago I got the Art By Marlene accordion journal and promptly put it away unopened, so now was the time to get it out again!

This is it opened out, it's sooooo long! Each section is about 6x4.

So it was out with my Oxides....

and oxide sprays.... (yep mostly unused 'till now lol)

and my Art By Marlene stencils (definitely very well used)

and this is what I ended up with.

It was far too big to tackle all in one go, so I decided to just work on the first two pages.

If I only get one stamp set out I always end up getting more, so I got a few out to start with (and only used 1 of course!!)

Lots of stamping and some cut-outs from the ABM collage papers. I've gone over the fold to connect the pages with my cartwheeling girl, but have as little as possible on the fold so it still folds and closes nicely.

There's a huge range of Art By Marlene goodies here in Dot's store, so pop on over to take a look.

Have a fab week, take care, and thanks so much for looking xx

 

Too Much Happy

Good morning and happy Sunday. What can I say, it's October 1st already. When I was young this meant it was nearly my birthday and then Christmas. Now I'm older it means it's nearly my birthday, and then Christmas! Our new challenge theme at Country View Crafts is Mixed Media with Autumnal Hues. Here's mine  

I started with Distress Oxides in Autumnal shades, on a piece of mixed media card. I always think of orange and brown are the main Autumn colours, but when I looked in the garden there are lots of purples and yellows still.

Then I die cut some paper leaves and added some gilding flakes. On the cloth leaves, I added some Frantage.

Now every dog loves to play in giant leaves, and Crazy Dog is no exception! Thank heavens for the die's, soooo much nicer than having to cut these out.

I added a tag in the corner with a Carmen's Veranda sentiment.
There we are - all done! These dogs still make me smile just as much as they did the first time I used them.

I hope you join in with our challenge. Happy Autumn, and thanks very much for looking x

I'm entering this into the following challenges
Crafty Cardmakers - Autumn
That's Crafty - Forever Autumn
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes
Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge - Gold
Deep Ocean - Goodbye Summer 
Mixed Media World - Anything Mixed Media