Butterflies at Rainbow Lady's Challenge

Hi there, we've got a fab new Butterflies challenge starting today over at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog  and our sponsor this week is none other that my lovely teamie Caroline, from CaroLine's  Creative Stamps! 

I've used Caroline's beautiful digi butterflies on my little wallhanging. I crackled the background with copper and black acyric paint and a layer of watered down PVA glue and added copper EP around the edge. I brayered the little scene using Big& Juicy spice inkpad and some of Carolines beautiful rubber stamps, you get so many sillhouettes in this set its hard to choose lol. 

I matted the scene on a lacy die cut circle, added some ribbon and popped the butterflies in position. To finish off I added some black enamel accents to the butterflies bodies.

I'm entering this little project in the following challenges

Craft a Scene: Moonlight

Crafts and Me: Elegant fairies

Craft your passion: Monochromatic

Creative Craft Challenge: anything but a card

Little Miss Muffet: Silhouettes

Ribbon Carousel: Anything goes

Whimsy Inspiration: No patterned paper

Thanks for calling by today, hop on over to the challenge blog to see more of Caroline's beautiful images and of course the fabby projects from my talented teamies

hugs

Claire xx

A colour challenge at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog

Hi there,  its time for a new challenge at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog and this week our theme is to use 'Red Brown and Cream' although I've cheated a little bit and added some green leaves to my project 

I've used my favourite Poppy paint fusion stamps from Sheena Douglass and some scalloped Decor Plates from CaroLine's Rubber stamps, they are perfect for paint fusion as they are a really good weight and take the layers of paint beautifully.

I began by creating a crackle background with a layer of brown emulsion paint, once that I was dry I slapped on some watered down pva glue and a layer of cream emulsion. Once that was dry I stamped on my poppies and painted them with acrylic paint. Next came the daisies which I painted with grey and cream acrylic paint instead of my usual pale blue and white. I added the centres to the flowers and then decided to add  a few leaves at it looked a little bare. I gave the small scalloped frame (also from CaroLine's) the same background treatment and then dry brushed gold acrylic paint around the edges of the painting. The sentiment is from the new Artistic Expressions themeplate from Chocolate Baroque, stamped with versamark and embossed with gold EP.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Kaboodle Doodles: flowers

Shopping our Stash: embossing

Stamptacular Sunday: Text me

If you get chance pop over and check out my teamies projects, they are stunning as always :-)

Thanks for visiting today

hugs

Claire xx

Another Parasol

Hi there, the weather doesn't know what to do here this morning so I'm not sure if I should call this an umbrella or a parasol lol. It was pouring with rain first thing but now the sun is shining and we're forecast a heat wave later :-) . Life's so hectic its nice sometimes just to spend a bit of time  playing in my craft room. Here's another Parasol Decor Plate (from CaroLine's Rubber Stamps, have a look here as Caroline has some gorgeous new shapes in and they are perfect for painting) 

I used Wilkinson's emulsion tester pots for the background and started with a base coat of dark brown. One that was dry I added a layer of watered down pva glue, gave it a blast with my heat gun and then applied a layer of magnolia emulsion paint. I love making these crackle backgrounds, such messy fun :-)

I stamped the leaves first using stamps from Sheena Douglass 'Berries' Stamp set. I painted the leaves and then stamped and painted the flowers and berries. I've used an assortment of acrylic paints from my stash (Pebeo and Eco-green mainly). Once the paint was thoroughly dry I used gold embossing powder around the edges and then triple embossed the tip of the parasol and the handle with more gold EP. While the last layer of EP was still hot I stamped in to it with a Chocolate Baroque swirly stamp. 

I'm entering this parasol in the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenge: Anything goes

Inspire Me Fridays: Anything goes

Stampin for the weekend: My favourite things (paint and decor plates)

Crafty Emma's Challenge blog: Anything but square

Scrapbook Sisters: Anything goes

Ruby's Rainbow: Flowers

Diva's By Design: anything but a card

Southern Girls: Anything goes

I hope the sun is shining for you today. I'm hoping to get lots of crafty time this weekend although I'm thinking about paint fusioning the bath panel (If I dare lol) 

Thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Paint fusion parasol

Hello my blogging buddies, sorry my blog has been less than inspiring lately but sometime life gets in the way of crafting although I think we're getting back to normal now. I'm still in a bit of a muddle at home but managed to have a play with my paint fusion goodies and eventually came up with this.

I say eventually as this was about my 4th attempt lol. The gorgeous parasol shape is from Caroline's Rubber stamps, they are a great size for painting on and great value too. I love Carolines decor plates for painting on and this is the first time I've had a play with the parasol and its going to be one of my favourites :-)

The board has withstood layers and layers of paint beautifully. I made a crackle background and tried to paint the paint fusion roses but they looked awful  so I painted another crackle background and more roses ... it still looked awful so I tried again. Now I'm not a quitter but after my third attempt I decided to have a break from the roses and painted another crackle background, I was having a little hop around some of my favourite blogs for some inspiration and as soon as I saw the gorgeous photo inspiration from Sir Stampalot for this months challenge I decided to use my favourite poppies and daisies stamps and got a much better result. I've used a mixture of pebeo and eco green acylic paints for the flowers, the base is emulsion paint and vpa glue and I used a clear satin topcoat. I used gold utee to emboss around the edges and also on the handles and the tip of the parasol - I used 3 layers for these and used a Chocolate Baroque stamp to create the texture. 

I'm entering my parasol in the following challenges:

By the Cute and Girly: In the garden

Cupcake Craftroom: flowers and leaves

Kaboodle Doodles: floral showcase

Sir Stampalot: photo inspiration

Stamping Scrapping Challenge Central: embossing

My craftroom is still rather cluttered from our recent leaky pipes but when I find my box of tassels I think a nice red tassel on the handle will finish this off perfectly.

Thanks for visiting 

hugs

Claire xx

With a flourish at Rainbow Lady's Challenge

Hello, thanks for visiting :-) Todays offering is my DT card for Cynthia's challenge over at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog where the theme is 'With a Flourish'. Our challenge this week is sponsored by crafting.co.uk so don't miss out on the chance to win a fab prize!!

I've used a beautiful bp from Artylicious Butterfly Bliss cd, printed out in the turquoise option. I stamped the ornate corner stamps (from Chocolate Baroque New England Winter themeplate) and added a lilac gem to each one. I brayered a background with Big'n'Juicy hydrangea inkapad. The gorgeous stamps are from CaroLines Rubber stamps and are some of my favourites for brayered backgrounds, so many detailed silhouettes they are great to build up a scene. I die cut some flourishes using Marianne dies. The flowers are also made using Marianne dies, one of the ribbon flower ones  - I coloured tissue paper with the same inkpad and cut out 5 layers for each flower and scrunched them up lightly before adding a tiny black button  in the centres.

I'm entering my card in the following challenges:

A Spoonfull of Sugar: anything goes

CD Sunday: Die cuts or Yeehaw 

Corrosive Challenge: birthdays

Dream Valley Challenge: Dig out the old to use with the new (the corner stamps are new and the cd is one of my oldest,and a real favourite)

Emerald Faerie Garden: Anything goes

Fab'n'Funky: Make your own blooms

One Stitch at a Time: anything goes

Paper Pretties: Flowers

Sentimental Sundays: Handmade flower plus sentiment

Truly Scrumptious: Anything goes

Thanks for calling by today

Claire xx

In the Springtime with Rainbow Lady's challenge

Its time for a new challenge at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog and this time we want to see your Spring projects. We're sponsored this week by our fab regular sponsor Chi Chi Memories, i've used this supercute image to make an Easter wall hanging using a large Decor plate from Caroline's Rubber Stamps and some paint fusion stamps from Sheena Douglass

I used gold ecogreen acrylic paint, pva glue and lemon emulsion paint to create the crackle background. I used the little rosebud border paint fusion stamp around the edges of the decor plate and embossed with Ranger Queens Gold EP. The leaves and rosebuds are painted with various acrylic paints from my stash as I still haven't got the ones Sheena uses. I coloured the cute little Easter chick  in his basket with promarkers and cut it our and matted it on a distressed doiley. I got the polystyrene eggs from The Works - 24 for 99p, what a bargain!! They are painted with acrylic paint and decorated with some sticky ribbon from my stash.

I'm entering my project in the following challenges:

Allsorts: Anything but a square

Bow's and Berries: Easter

Crazy Challenge: Easter

Creative Inspirations: Easter

Die Cut Dreams: Easter

Floweret: Easter

Fun with shapes and more: Easter

Phindy's Place: Easter

Sparkles Forum: Easter

Stampin for the weekend: Easter

Sugar Creek Hollow: Vintage Easter

The Pink Elephant: Easter

Thanks for popping by, I hope you're enjoying some Spring weather, its really cold here again so I hope it improves for the weekend :-)

Claire xx

We're Celebrating the Chinese New Year at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog

Hi, we're celebrating the start of the Year of the Rabbit over at Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog with a chinese New Year themed challenge. I love oriental themed cards so I've taken my inspiration for this weeks DT card from the oriental theme but you could interpret the challenge in different ways too so check out my teamies blogs for some fab ideas! Our sponsor this week is the lovely Joanna Sheen so don't miss out on the change of a fab prize!!

Apologies again for the dreadful pic, its really bleached the colours of this card unfortunately but I was trying to avoid too much reflection from the acetate. I've used black card for my base card and made the bp using oriental lily stamps from Joanna Sheen stamped and embossed on white card with black detail EP. Then swooshed in lots of tumbled glass distress ink spritzed with water on my craft mat and some pale blue glimmer mists for some shimmer.

The scene actually has a brayered background but its almost disappeared in the pic, the oriental lady stamp is from Clarity Stamps, the foliage stamps are from Autumn Leaves and the cute little rabbit is from CaroLines rubber stamps (from one of her gorgeous silhouette sets)

The curved acetate overlay is stamped with bamboo stamps from Joanna Sheen and embossed with black detail EP. I added some wide black satin ribbon from my stash and a paper flower I made ages ago.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Claudia and co: Unique fold (mmm does my acetate count? I hope so)

Crafty Cardmakers: Spotlight water

Crafty Ho's Challenge: No DPs

Daring Cardmakers: Year of the Rabbit

Kaboodle Doodles: Monochromatic

Papertake Weekly challenge: anything goes + flowers

The Shabby Tea Room: Just stamping

The Stamp Man: Oriental

thanks for visiting today and I hope the Year of the Rabbit is a  good one for you :-)

Claire xx

Wishing Star Angel

This weeks Spotlight image at Michelle Perkett Studio is this beautiful Wishing Star Angel, she is available in Michelle's etsy store with 20% off this week! She is such a beautiful angel and I think she's perfect for a New Year card.

 I'm sorry for the dreadful photo, the background is brayered on glossy card and was a nightmare to photograph

I used Big & Juicy Waterfall inkpad to brayer the background and stamped stars from CaroLines rubber stamps on the background and embossed them with gold EP. The main image is coloured with promarkers and has lots of sakura stardust highlights for some sparkle. To finish the card off I added some gold padded stars from my stash and a big gold bow.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Bee Crafty: New Year + digi

Polka Doodles: A wish for the new year

Everybody Art Challenge: Happy New Year

Scrapbook Sisters: Anything goes

Stamp something: Something digi

If the Shoe fits.... : Ribbons

Oh Alice: Capture holiday memories or icy blue theme

Thanks for calling by today.Don't forget you still have time to enter this weeks challenge from Michelle Perkett Studios,  Jan and her lovely mermaids have set the theme of 'Anything goes' so its a nice easy one for you this week :-)

If you don't have any of Michelle's images you can grab a fabby freebie over at her groups on CDAC, SNR or PCP

Its a very grey and rainy day here today, we don't seem to have seen the sun for ages here. Hubby is going to watch the football so I'll be spending this afternoon crafting :-)

Claire xx

Christmas challenge at Crafty Ann's!

Woo hoo weekend is nearly here! Its my last day at work today and then I have a week off :-) I may do a little Christmas shopping and Crafty Ann's Challenge this week is perfect to get me in the mood for Christmas - we want to see your Christmas creations BUT using non traditional Christmas colours!! We are also celebrating the first anniversary of Crafty Ann's Challenge and we couldn't let that pass with out some treats!!

All the the DT have prizes on their blogs so all you have to do is leave a comment and you'll be in with a chance of winning your choice of one of Crafty Ann's digi stamps or a precoloured sheet on each of the DTs' blog!! Don't forget to leave me a comment to be in with a chance with win!!  And there will be an extra prize over on the challenge blog too so there are  lots of chances to win some goodies!

I've used Crafty Ann's beautiful pointsettia digi stamp (available from Ann's shop here) to make a Christmas decoration. The image is coloured with promarkers and layered up with silicone and I've added some gold microbeads to the centre. The leaves look a grey colour in the pic but they have been overstamped with swirls and versamark and dusted with gold mica powder and its not showing up too well in the pic. Ann has also got some beautiful precoloured images that will be great for quick projects so have a little look around her shop and check them out

The bauble shape is one of Carolines Decor Plates (available here). I always rave about these but they really are a wonderful surface to work on. This one is painted with orchid ecogreen acrylic paint paint. The snowflakes are a stamp from Tim Holtz, embossed with  gold EP. I masked the top of the bauble, swiped it with versamark and again embossed with gold EP. To finish off I added some gold Christmas tree trim, pink velvet ribbon and a big pink chiffon bow.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

A Pocket Full of posies: Winter bouquet

City Crafter: get your Digi on

Kaboodle Doodles: Vintage

Everybody Art Challenge: Untraditional Christmas

I love promarkers: Snowflakes

Thanks for visiting today. Don't forget to check out the rest of the DTs blog for some fabulous inspiration for your non traditional Christmas project. Remember I'll be picking a comment from the comments  left here to win a prize too

Claire xx

Make a Scene at Let's Ink It Up

Hi there, time for a  new challenge at Let's Ink It Up is 'Make a Scene'. We had some amazing entries last time so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone creates for our challenge this time around.

Once again we have a fab sponsor, our lucky winner will get a $10 voucher for Tickled Pink stamps!!

 "Tickled Pink Stamps is based in Australia and is the home of the Lil Lolita and Lil Lads Stamps. They are everything quirky and sweet all in the one stamp and perfect for any occasion. Tickled Pink Stamps also has a range of sentiments and images to match with the gorgeous Lil Lolita and Lil Lads ranges. With new images coming all the time there is always something there to suit everyone and help bring out the quirky in us all...."

I love this theme and decided to get my brayer out and create an Autumn scene for my DT card.

I've used a Kaleidacolour ink pad (Autumn Leaves) and stamps from CaroLines Rubber Stamps, Elusive Images and Artmeio to create the scene. I've also added some stickles to the tree as i can't resist a bit of bling lol. The bp is made from vellum stamped with Elusive Images leaf stamps in brilliance ink and then sprayed with glimmer mists. I was a bit shocked when the whole thing curled up and wrinkled but I kind of liked the effect. The vellum is attached to some copper pearlescent card with brads. The copper card has a punched border to show a little of the base card with I distressed with shabby shutters and pine needles distress inks.

The embellish the card I made some paper flowers from scrap paper coloured with inkadinks and cosmic shimmer powders. I added buttons to the centres and attached them over some chocolate box bows with silicone. I added some paper leaves, beaded leaves on wire and made a pin using beads and a headpin from my stash. I added a couple of shrink plastic leaves and a dragonfly brad from my stash to finish off. Heres another pic to show the detail on the card.

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Sir Stampalot: Autumn Breeze (buttons and bow)

Shabby Tea Room: Chocolate covered Autumn

The Pink Elephant: Brown and orange

Charisma Cardz: Vintage

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you're going to make a scene with us at LIIU, you have until November 5th, 12 noon Sidney Australia time to get your entry in. Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's blogs as they have really excelled themselves again and come up with some amazing creations!!

Claire xx

A new challenge at Let's Ink It Up!!

Hi. its time for another challenge at Let's Ink It Up. There were some fantastic entries for Challenge 2, huge congratulations to the winner and Top 3.

Ou challenge this time is

 'Use your favourite stamp, with a twist - add a charm'

We have a fabulous prize again, a £20 voucher for

 CaroLines Rubber Stamps

Caroline is a lovely lady and she designs the most gorgeous stamps, I've used stamps from Caroline's Silhouettes 2 themeplate to make this project.  It is a fab set of stamps with 2 fab backgrounds and lots of little elements to build your scene. I've also used one of Caroline's Decor Plates, the large scalloped circle as the base for my wall hanging. I was lucky enough to win some of these in a challenge a few months ago, they are fab to work and take ink beautifully. Great value too, I just bought some more and some oriental ones too :-)

I coloured the Decor Plate with kaliedacolour inks and my trusty brayer and then sprayed assorted glimmer mists over the top. I then stamped with various leaf stamps from Joanna Sheen which were embossed with gold and copper EPs. The leaves are cut on my cuttle bug as is the flower which is a Marianne Die from Jazzlin Designs. The beautiful Autumn ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons and was a real bargain in their sale.

The central scene was created by brayering a background with the same kaleidacolour inkpad and then embossing the main scene with black detail EP. The fairy, toadstool and hedgehog were also embossed with the same EP. The leaves on the tree are from the same themeplate and stamped once again with Kaliedacolour inks.  I cut the scene out and embossed the edge with gold EP to frame it. To finish off, I added a tiny toadstool charm - if you look closely you can see it just below the flower.

I'm also entering this wall hanging in the following challenges:

City Crafter Challenge: Tree of Books

A spoonful of sugar: Fall into Autumn Colours

Incy Wincy : Autumn Colours

Paperplay challenge: Shaped Project

Everybody Art Challenge: Other Cardform

I hope you are going to dig out your favourite stamp and join us at Let's Ink It Up

I'm sure after seeing all your fab cards I'll have another long wish list of stamps I need!! Why not pop over to my teamies blogs and check out their favourite stamps too - they have some fab projects again this month

Claire xx