Welcoming Autumn

 Good morning and a very happy Monday, I hope you had a lovely weekend!

Today I'm sharing my second project for the fun 'Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness' challenge over at Country View Crafts, and this time I've made another postcard.

I started by making my background with lots of Distress Inks and AALL and Create stencils.

This fabulous Tracy Evans  AALL & Create stamp is really all the card needs.

I tried to use different coloured inks on different parts of the stamp, and I really like how it looks.

I re-stamped the pine cone and layered it up just to add a bit of contrast.

And I added some words just to finish it all off!

I hope you like it, and also that you join in with our challenge.

Take care, have a lovely week, and thanks so much for looking x

It's Travel Time For Country View Crafts

 Good morning and a very happy Friday! As always, the 1st of the month is a new challenge day at Country View Crafts, and today the lovely Craftyfield has chosen Travel.

I don't know about you, but I always take lots of photos on holiday, and then they sit on my phone forever. To combat this, I've made myself a travel photo album all ready for our return. There are lots of apps to have photos printed and sent from your phone, so I've no excuse lol.

I've had these beautiful Stamperia Around The World papers in my stash for ages. I got them when I first started to make mini albums, and I thought a 10-page pad would make a project with pages to spare! Mmmn that didn't quite work out lol.

Anyway, this measures 8.25 x 7.25 so is just right for 6x4 photos.

And this is the back. There's an envelope from the cut-apart page which I've used as a pocket to hold a couple of the tags.

I've turned the whole front page into a shaker. I know- I'm such a child lol.

All things Stamperia can be found here 

I hope you join in with our fun challenge. Please remember to check out the rules on the challenge site.

I'll be back later in the month with the inside of my album so I hope to see you then

Have a lovely weekend, and thanks so much for looking x

A Kitty Birthday Card For Country View Crafts

 Good morning and a very happy Sunday. Today is new challenge day over at Country View Crafts, and the lovely Rachel has chosen Cats and Dogs. I'm very much a cat person (who also loves dogs), so this challenge is right up my street. This is the birthday card that I made for my mum, who is also a cat person. My dad is a dog lover, so of course my cats used to love my dad and completely ignore mum - that's cats for you!

I started by making a background on my gelli plate with my new Lavinia inks and some Brushos.

This is the first time that I've used the Elements inks and they're my new favourites! They are so juicy.

While I had my brushos out I thought that I might as well make my second background, so I just spattered away, drying each colour before spattering the next.

All of the stamps are by Katzelkraft.

You will find an excellent range of Katzelkraft stamps here.

And all things Lavinia here.

I hope you join in with our fun challenge - what's not to love about cats and dogs! Just make sure that your projects feature cats and/or dogs, and link up for your chance to win a £20.00 gift voucher to spend in the shop.

Take care and have a very happy May xx

She Said Yes!

 Good morning and a very happy Tuesday. Today I'm back over at Country View Crafts with my second project for our Hearts and Flowers challenge.

This card is very personal to me as my son and his girlfriend (now fiancee) are now engaged!

I love this paper! It's by Craft Consortium and it's actually from one of their Christmas collections, but I thought it was perfect for an engagement card.

This is the inside of the card. All of the papers are double-sided so they all mix and match.

When Chris saw the cute Crafters Companion bears he knew immediately that I'd had to buy this especially as cute bears isn't really my thing lol. I think he was remembering his birthday card where I was a mermaid and he was the PaperArtsy 'Fish Eye Guy' as he calls him!

The banner die is by Lisa Horton, and I snipped it into this shape.

Susan also has a range of Craft Consortium papers here in the store. 

I'm very happy to say that they both liked their card - maybe I'll be able to work 'Fish Eye Guy' into their wedding card 😂

Take care, have a great week, and thanks so much for looking x

Follow Your Dreams

 Good morning and a very happy Sunday. Today I'm back at Country View Crafts with my second project for our 'Year To Sparkle And Shine' challenge, and this time I've thrown just about everything at it!

I started by painting my canvas board black, then putting some texture paste through a Clarity stencil.

Next I stippled some Dina Wakley paint all over in dark colours.

Layer 3 of about 50 lol. I dropped pinches of Ayeda powders and Pixie Powders all over and sprayed with water. Then I stood back and watched the colour explode!

Much titivation and sparkle splodging later.... here we are! The stamps are by Just A Girl And Her Imagination (Tracy Easson) and I thought they fitted really well with my stary sky background.

Tracy Easson stamps can be found here in the store.

Dina Wakley stash is here.

And Pixie Powders here.

I hope you join in with us in our fun challenge and show us your sparkle!

Take care and have a very happy week x

It's In The Bag for Country View Crafts

Good morning and a very happy Monday! I hope you had a lovely weekend, and now it's November - how did that happen! So we're halfway through Strictly and Bake Off, and that can only mean one thing, Christmas is coming.

 The new challenge this month at Country View Crafts is Christmas Gifting (definitely not a card), so I've made a gift bag.

It's just a plain kraft bag, but it's so sturdy, it will definitely take a Christmas present.

I started by spattering with some watered down white acrylic paint to give a snowy feel.

I tried stamping the sentiments directly onto the bag, but they really didn't show up enough, so I stamped them onto white card and cut them all out.

The Christmas tree is made up from Lisa Horton triangle dies and papers.

And there we are, all done. The tree has been stuck down with foam tape so it stands out nicely from the bag.

This was great fun to make, and it will definitely come into use this year.

This is what I've used, and all things Lisa Horton can be found here.

Have a very happy month, and thanks so much for looking x

Boo!

 Good morning and a very happy Thursday! Today I'm over across at Country View Crafts Towers with my trio of Rolodex cards for our Autumnal Colours/ Halloween challenge.

I started by inking up some cards and stencilling through  Tim Holtz stencills.

Don't you just love these Halloween cats!

I don't really 'do' Halloween, but there is just something about these stamps that make me smile.

 

You can find everything Tim Holtz here in the store.

 I hope you like them, and that you join in with our challenge.

Take care, and thanks so much for looking x

Autumnal Colours/Halloween For Country View Crafts

 Good morning and a very happy Friday. Now I'm not saying that this year is galloping by, but it's October already!!! A few more weeks and I'll be doing my Christmas countdown! We are launching a new challenge today over at Country View Crafts, and it's Autumnal Colours/Halloween. Here's my first piece.

I wanted to spell out Autumn, but my dies are too big to get all the letters on. I could have put 'Fall' but Autumn is Autumn to me, and fall is just something that I do, usually over my own feet!

I thought I was going to make a journal page so I stencilled a background. This is when I realised that my dies wouldn't fit, but I cut out my word anyway.

Then I stamped the letters with a text stamp to add a bit of interest, and then triple embossed them.

Next I cut a skinny card with a die set, and cut my word again from a piece of Craft Consortium card.

I don't know if you remember my journal page from last month, but I cut a LOT of leaves, and loads were left over so as if by magic we have leaves under the leaf.

I hope you like my card, and that you join in with the challenge. Please show us your Autumn colours.

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

All The Leaves Are Brown (and green and red)

Good morning and a very happy Wednesday. Can you believe it's the first of September already? The days are getting shorter and I know that Autumn is on its way as the leaves on the Acer tree outside my craft room are starting to turn red. To celebrate the prettiest of seasons, the new challenge at Country View Crafts is "The Leaves Begin To Fall"

I got this Tim Holtz die a while ago but this is the first time it's been out of its packet, so this challenge came at just the right time.

I started by making my background. I've just got some of those posh "toothbrush" blending brushes and I really like them.

Then I cut and built the flowers and the leaves using various card packs that have been in my stash since time began.

I've not put a sentiment on yet as it could be a birthday or a Mother's Day card (and if I don't make my sister's wedding anniversary card pretty sharpish it could be heading off down there!)

And this is what I've used.

Tim Holts Dies

Lisa Horton Dies

I hope you like it, and that you join in with our challenge. Please remember that leaves must be the main focus of your piece.

Take care, and have a very happy September 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