Birthday Fishes

Good morning and happy weekend! Even though I retired earlier this year I still love the weekend. As always Rubber Dance have a colour challenge, and this is what I have made.

This is the colour board. There's also the additional theme of birthdays as Bibi is having rather a special one next month.

My card has been made with Distress Inks and stamps from the Something Fishy and Textured Flowers plates. I should apologise for the fishy birthday joke, but I'm not going to lol.
Have a fun weekend, and thanks very much for looking x

Happy Birthday

Hello and happy Thursday. Yesterday was my son's girlfriend's graduation, and today is her birthday. Really two cards in two days - it's a good job I like her! This is what I made.

I hope she likes it!

Have a great day, and thanks very much for looking x

Crazy Congratulations

Good morning and happy Wednesday. We've woken up to beautiful sunshine and a thick frost today! It seems we've skipped Autumn and gone straight into Winter. Today my son's girlfriend graduates for the second time. Last year she got her degree, and this year she finished her teaching qualification. This is the card that I made.

It's all made with Tim Holtz stamps and dies.

We have crazy birds

and cats

and dogs

more birds

and also the mini versions.

I'm sure she'll have a brilliant day, she's worked so hard she certainly deserves to, and I'll even get to see Chris in a suit!

Have a great day whatever you are doing, and thanks very much for looking x

Lights, Camera, Action

Good morning and welcome to November! Where is this year going! This month the lovely Rachel has chosen 'stars' as her theme at Country View Crafts. This is what I've made.

I started by covering my MDF star with some Graphic 45 paper. I say that as if it didn't hurt me to cut into it! Then I gave it a coat of DecoArt white gesso, and finally a coat of very watered down  Prussian Blue Hue.

Next I stamped my Hollywood couple. This is a clear stamp that I've had for years. I don't know who it's by, but I love it!
I edged around the edges with Vintage Photo distress ink, then used the Andy Skinner Old Film to stencil through with an old black archival ink pad. This isn't a juicy as it was so is perfect for delicate stencilling.
It was finished off with a Tim Holtz sticker and a piece of bead chain.

I'm entering my Hollywood couple into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday 'anything goes' challenge.

This was one of those rare pieces that came together just as I had it in my head, and although it's not my usual style (I can't remember the last time I actually used a piece of DP) I really like it.
So please join in with our challenge, and reach for the stars!
Have a great week, and thanks very much for looking xx

No Regrets

Good morning and Happy Sunday. It's my turn today to share a Visible Image 'out of the garage' creation. 

 I made this right at the start of our 'Grand Design' and it was in the mini heat wave in September. It was sooo hot in our garage - not so much now lol.

Look at all that sunshine! Although I made it a while ago this has very much been a work in progress. The background is Distress paint, and the stamping is from the Revolution set.
The lovely girl is on the relaunched No Space For Dreams plate which now contains the most amazing dream catcher stamp!
Listen to your inner voice has been stenciled, and one of my favourite sentiment plates 'No regrets' is back and will be dispatched from tomorrow!

By take 2 it's Winter, so no daylight for photographs. I think I have SAD syndrome already! I've just got some new Seth Apter dies, so decided to highlight the No Regrets. I forgot to mention my go to Edgy stamp, which can now be found on De-Stressed Backgrounds. I think it's safe to say that I use it on everything!

So take 3 - the final cut, a couple more die cuts, and I'm happy! So listen to your inner voice, and have no regrets! My inner voice just says 'eat the chocolate' or 'buy the stamp' - it's a very easily pleased inner voice.

If your inner voice says 'buy the stamps' they can be found here.
There is new inspiration everyday on our facebook page,
and you can also join in the fun in our show and tell section.

Have a great weekend, and thanks very much for looking xx

Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice

Good morning and Happy Weekend! If anyone has any daylight could you please send me some across, it's nearly 9 o'clock and it's still dark! This month IndigoBlu have a challenge theme of Monochrome, and this is what I've made.

It's definitely not my usual style and it certainly was a challenge!

The photographs came in a bumper bundle from the TV. I've given her a layer of clear gesso and then she's been crackled and sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

I also got this beautiful rose stencil, so out it came straight away.

And a doily for goodness sake lol. I really had to dig around to find this, but it was the perfect size for the quote.

I must admit I did miss my colours, but this was a real challenge, so thank you IndigoBlu.

Enjoy your day, your extra hours sleep tonight, and thanks very much for looking x

There Are Always Flowers

Hello and Happy Wednesday. Here is another of my 'out of the freezing cold garage' creations. It was made for the latest PaperArtsy Squares and Grids challenge.

For the first time in years my alcohol inks have had an outing. It's been so long since I had used them that I'd forgotten how to! I was dripping the ink straight onto the card, I'd forgotten that it went onto the felt pad first lol.
The frame is by Tando, and this has been coloured with White Fire Fresco. Then I drew the grid on it, then painted it again.
The stamps are JoFY set 14 and Kim Dellow's Eclectica set 1. I know the butterfly is flying the wrong way up, but he's heading into a strong wind ( if he was the other way up he'd be dead lol)
I really like how this turned out, but I haven't put a sentiment on yet 'cos I'm not sure where it will end up. It's not very often I have a card made without immediately having to send it out.
Have a very happy day, and thanks very much for looking x

Starry Night Meets American Gothic

Good morning and Happy Monday. This is my last Halloween themed piece for this year, 'cos Christmas is coming (not that I'll be making my cards till mid December lol but the intention is there)
I recently won some fabulous Lost Coast Design stamps, so it would be very rude not to play with them.

I started by painting my Tando frame with DecoArt Media paints. Then lots of stencilling with a couple of Andy Skinner stencils.

You can't beat a bit of head swapping for Halloween.

I really like these Andy Skinner stencils with the silver metallic and interference paints. The shrunken skelli heads are shrink plastic.

Here's the whole happy family - even Basil's smiling!

This was great fun to make, so thank you Lost Coast for the fabulous stamps. I'm linking this to their 31 Days of Halloween scary or weird challenge, along with the Dream in Darkness challenge with the same theme.

Right, back in the garage for me, have a great week and thanks very much for looking xx