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

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

Making Magic

Good Morning and happy Wednesday. A really quick post from me today while we still have the internet. Our phone has been really crackly for a while, and we keep losing the internet, so someone from BT is coming out today. Hopefully he will fix it or maybe we will be plunged into a black hole, unable to communicate with the outside world - we'll have to talk to each other yikes! :-)
Anyway Indigo Blu have a challenge of Autumn Wildlife, and this is what I've made.

I've just used stamps from this set, I must admit it only comes out at this time of year.

I've painted the shrine with acrylic paints, and the bird on the books makes a perfect texture stamp. The paints are all DecoArt Media and I just used tiny amounts to let them all show through.

And my wise old owl has been given a wash of acrylic. Diazoxide Purple and Primary Magenta are my favourite colours for this week lol.

I'm also linking this to the Craft Stamper MITI Autumn challenge.

I hope you have a magical day too, and thanks very much for looking x

It's A Game of Two Halves...

Good morning and happy (and sunny) Tuesday. I wanted to join in with the Indigo Blu All Things Bright and Beautiful challenge, so I made a plaque.

I do quite like this, but it's not how it was supposed to be...

I started with some crackle paint through a stencil.

Then painted with Indigo Blu paints, and yes my memory is so bad that if I don't photograph what I used I can never remember. I think my brain is just so stuffed with pop trivia from the 70's that other (less important) things dribble out lol.

I added some stencilling

and some more stencilling..

Then I dropped my nice juicy jet black Versafine straight on top of it! I didn't photograph this bit, I just whimpered in the corner for a little while.

So on to plan B - I never actually have a plan B. I painted over the black bits - sounds a bit like my baking 'I cut off the black bits'... and added more stencilling to balance it up again.

and here we are, not what I had in mind, but not in the bin either.

My crackle is still crackling after about 20 coats of paint, so I'm also entering this into the That's Crafty crackle challenge.

I hope you have a lucky day, and thanks very much for looking x

On A Hot Summer Night...

Good Morning and happy Saturday! Just a quick post from me today in between washing and nursing duties. Chris is still quite poorly with a mystery virus that's totally floored him. He may be 23 but he's still my baby, and seeing him so ill really hurts. 

BUT gotta stay positive and cheerful, apparently it's part of the job description of being a Mum :-)

I've been having a play with my Indigo Blu stamps for their Summer Florals challenge. So without further ado, and in the words of Meatloaf, here's mine.

I thing Mr Darcy is looking particularly wolfish...

but will Boadicea fall for his charms...

well if it was Colin Firth as Mr Darcy, then yeah I think she would! - of course other Mr Darcy's are available but none so good as Colin :-)

Have a great weekend, enjoy the sunshine, and thanks very much for looking x

Mr Darcy and the Bearded Lady

Hi and happy Bank Holiday Weekend. At the start of the year I watched Kate Crane on Wanderlust make a travel journal, and I really wanted to make one. I cut all my pages out but never got any further. Then earlier this month I did Kate's class in Mixology and I've been bitten by the Kate Crane bug (that sounded better in my head lol).

This is a blank folded book that I've had for years and never done anything with, so out came the paints.

All the stamps and paints used are by Indigo Blu.
The book was painted, stencilled, and stamped.

Lots of different surfaces to put some photographs on. There are very few up to date photographs of Neil and myself, so I think a few selfies are needed lol.

And this is the book all opened up. Lots of room for stamping when I decide which photographs are going in.

The covers have been cut from a Tando chipboard sheet, and covered with sticky backed canvas.

And here's my bearded lady. The more I tried to 'lightly shade' her, the more she looked like a bearded woman. In the end I just moved the frame down :-).

All tied up and done!
This was fun to make but impossible to photograph. Every time I tried to take a picture it either rained or snowed!
I'm entering my little book into these challenges
IndigoBlu Spring is in the Air - I've used my Spring colours, and
Tando Creative week 4 Spring has Sprung.
Thanks very much for looking, and have a fun weekend xx

Live, Laugh, Love

Hi, it's been a day of sport on the TV today, so I took the opportunity to slope off, and have a play in my craft room.

The background has been sprayed, stamped, and stencilled in pink, yellow and green.
The flowers in the corner have been stencilled with Portfolio pastels. I love the way this goes into peaks when you use it thickly.

All the stamps are by Indigo Blu, I've used the crackle stamp from the Alice in Wonderland plate in the corners.

I inked another piece of card to stamp the flowers and leaves.

Words added to the corner, and all done.
I'm linking this to a few challenges 
Indigo Blu, yellow, pink, and green,
Craft Stamper TIMI Spring Flowers,
That's Crafty All things bright and beautiful,
and 
The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - dimension

This was fun and I now have a card made for when I need one rather than having to make one the day before :-)
Thanks very much for looking and have a good week x

Wot No Summer!

Well I'm back from my holidays another year older and a little bit cooler (only temperature wise I've not turned into the Fonz) and it seems like Autumn is well and truly upon us. IndigoBlu have also gone into Autumnal mode, and so I've made this for this months challenge.

 This is an 8x8 box canvas that's been painted with Starburst stains, then had texture paste and Kroma crackle applied through a stencil.

These were wet wipes used for applying acrylic paint on a previous piece, I thought they were too nice to throw away.

So I've stamped the leaves and sentiment from the Live, Laugh, Love set.

I've also stamped the text stamp over the texture paste.
I'm pleased with how this turned out, especially the wet wipe leaves.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

You've Been Framed

The challenge at Indigo Blu this time is Frame It.

I started with a couple of chipboard hearts and trimmed one down to form the frame. The border has been stamped with the text from Caitlin

Caitlin herself has been stamped and coloured with Prisma Pencils, then masked. I've used a spritzer tool around the edges with Distress Markers.

To cover the frame I've stamped lots of Limor's Circles and punched them out.

Lots and lots of circles.
This was a really fun challenge - hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x