Something Wonderful

Hello and Happy Tuesday. I've needed cheering up today, what with the Man Flu, so I've gone in search of happy.

...and I found it with Trish's gorgeous stamp.

I started with some Dina Wakley paints and Creative Expressions embossing paste in silver and gold.

I love this stamp, it's Whimsy Girl 4 and I've only had her a couple of days so I'm really pleased to get her used straight away.

I'm entering her into the That's Crafty silver and gold challenge.
Have a great week, and thanks very much for looking x 

Hall of Fame

Hi and happy Monday (what's left of it). I've been having a bit of a play today even though I think I'm coming down with the Man Flu. I'm sniffing a lot and feeling very sorry for myself so Man Flu it is!
This is what I made.

I started with a gelli print made from DecoArt Media paints, and die cut a square. Then I stamped the Lost Coast Designs Thick and Thin Men.

Next it was time to get busy with the crackle. First of all I gave it all a layer of DecoArt Weathered Wood, and when it was dry, a coat of Media Crackle Glaze. Next came the Antiquing cream in white and brown.

I cut a clip board top from aluminium tape, and rusted it with Paynes Gray and Quin Gold. 
That's it now, I'm going to go and sigh very heavily in the hope that it will get me a cup of coffee.
I'm entering my famous couple into the Lost Coast Designs 'anything goes' challenge.
Have a great week, and thanks very much for looking x

What Dreams May Come

I've been having a bit of a play over the last few days with some new Deco Art chalk paints, Andy Skinner stencils, Seth Apter dies, and lots of stamps.

I started by putting some DecoArt modeling paste through lots of stencils onto an A3 canvas. I'd put a couple of layers of paint on this previously, then chickened out because the size of it scared me.

I've just got some DecoArt Americana chalk paints, so I manned up, chose a few colours and started scraping!

A couple more colours and a bit of white pen and I was happy with the background. To be honest I could have just played at this bit forever.

I used the same colours to paint a couple of mixed media sheets, and stamped them with the Seth Apter PaperArtsy stamps. These were for the die cuts.

Here are the PA stamps again.

And some from Stampendous.

Some die cutting....

This one's my favourite.

 The quote is the title of a Robin Williams film from a few years ago. It was very dark and I didn't particulary like it, but it's stayed with me all this time, so perhaps that's the sign of a really good film.

I'm entering this into the 'anything weird or creepy' challenge at Dream in Darkness,  the TIMI Anything Goes challenge at  Craft Stamper, and the Put A Stencil On It challenge over at Mixed Media Monthly 
Thanks very much for looking, and have a great week x 

Let It Snow

No, don't worry it's not Christmas all over again, it's just that Snow, Snow, Snow is the challenge over at IndigoBlu this month. So as I still had a little bit of my Christmas stash hanging around, and I'm determined not to get caught out by Christmas next time, this is what I made.

I don't actually have any IndigoBlu snowy stamps, so I've had to improvise with Rain Droplets

and Circle Dot Background.

I stamped the wonderful Stag Night and covered him in gilding flakes, but he didn't show up too well so he's been used in the background. I've used bits of the waste to make domed stickers.

I love how he looks embossed in black.

The design of the card is from Mojo Monday. I really struggle making cards so it's nice to have a  sketch to work with.

Way hey, Christmas card number one done - definitely a result!

Have a very happy week, and thanks very much for looking xx

Play Away

Hi and Happy Tuesday. A combination of Bank holidays and football meant that I was home alone this afternoon. Well what's a girl to do (after a happy dance) other than kidnap the Toblerone and go and have a play.

I'd been re-watching some Andy Skinner videos on You Tube over Christmas along with his latest Hochanda shows, and wanted to try the Triple Thick glaze and interference paint technique.

It was great fun to just play!
I'm entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge which is start afresh - the Triple Thick is new, and also That's Crafty's Anything Goes challenge.
Thanks very much for looking and have a fab week x

Happy New Year

Good morning and a very happy 2017. Hopefully we are now free of the curse of 2016 - a very good year to leave behind! Of course it's now time for a new challenge at Country View Crafts, and to ease us in nice and gently the challenge is Anything Goes. 

So a new year means it's time to start again with all the birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions that need a card, and this year I'm going to be ready - oh yes! (well maybe) :-) I've always said that I work better under pressure lol but occasionally it would be nice to have a card ready when I need one.

This lovely Sheena set happened to fall into my basket during the recent Advent sale, ( I don't know how this happened as I was in Lanzarote at the time) so I thought it was a good time to use it. 

Sheena also has a DVD where she uses these stamps so I tried the technique with masking fluid and it does work beautifully. To colour the background I used Distress Inks.

The cat, table, and bowl have been coloured with Distress Markers

The water droplets have been made with Glossy Accents, and I've added a few sequins just because. The seam binding has also been coloured with the same inks.

So get yourself a mince pie and join in with our challenge - it has to be better than taking the decorations down and playing in the dust :-)

Have a wonderful New Year, and thanks very much for looking x

Merry Christmas!!

Hi Honey I'm home! Back from my lovely holiday - in fact after 2 or 3 days at home it's as if it never happened. Never mind, at least there's Christmas to look forward to. Speaking of which, it's my turn to show my second Country View Crafts Christmas piece, so here it is.

I started by making my background for the Crazy Dogs with some of my favourite Basic Grey papers and snowy acetate.

Then I stamped and die cut the dogs and presents from the Tim Holtz Mini Crazy Cats and Dogs, and Mini Bird Crazy and Things stamps and dies. I love these sets, but I do wish there was some way of identifying the dies for the cats and dogs. It would be really nice if Sizzix had colour coded them for us, or even a number etched into the die.

So, Distress Markers and Ice Stickles at the ready, time to start colouring!

Who could resist these guys?

There we are, all finished and with a frosty background kindly provided by the Great British weather. I wonder if it will be a white Christmas... When I was younger I loved snow at Christmas, now I just think of people driving and hope it stays away. Older, wiser, but not so much fun :-)

So here we are with the last Country View challenge of the year. A huge thank you to everyone who has entered and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.
Have a wonderful time and thanks very much for looking xx

Stand Out!

Good morning and happy Tuesday. I've left the Christmas preparations behind and set off in search of sunshine, so this is a scheduled post. Helen and Mark recently had a Black Friday weekend sale over at Visible Image, and this is one of the sets that fell into my basket :-)

I started by giving my monolith and stand a couple of layers of white gesso so that the alcohol inks would have a slicker surface to move on, then I just blew them through a straw.

Then I made a total mess of the stamping. I've just re-inked my Versamark and I don't seem to have much luck with re-inked ink pads - I think in future I'll just buy a new one. Anyhow instead of binning it and sulking which is what I wanted to do, I gave it a couple of coats of white acrylic. I quite liked how this knocked back the brick wall embossing that I'd used from the Teenage Kicks plate.

So I huffed and puffed and re-blew the alcohol ink, and just stamped the brick wall a little around the edges then rubbed off some of the bronze embossing powder before heating it.
The legs from Teenage Kicks have been embossed in black, and the quote is actually purple and black but it doesn't show up so well here. Then it was a bit of bottle top stamping and all done.

I really enjoyed the start and the end - the bit in the middle not so much lol but I'm happy how it's turned out, there's actually quite a bit of texture in there which is always good.
Don't forget to check out the website which will lead you to the shop and lots of inspiration.
There's also our facebook group and we love it when you share your Visible Image creations with us here. Then there's  our facebook page,  and of course Pinterest with lots more to look at.
Have a wonderful week, and thanks very much for looking x