Blog hop at Michelle Perkett Studio!!

Hi, its time for our blog hop at Michelle Perkett Studio :-) If you've arrived from Mari's blog then you're on the right track, if not hop over to Michelle's blog where the fun starts!

The blog hop is to say a big thank you to our lovely DT ladies, especially those who are leaving we're so sad to see them go but wish them all the very best for the future. Jan, Marilyn, Margie, Melissa and Tammy are leaving the DT after our 6 month term and its been a real pleasure to work with you ladies :-)

I'd also like to thank my lovely teamies who are staying on and of course a huge thank you to Michelle too. Michelle is a very talented artist and a wonderful warm person and its a real pleasure to be a part of this amazing team.

I wanted to make a special card for our blog hop and decided to make a tealight card as I saw lots on people's blogs a few months ago and never got round to making one. Anyway as I made the little box bit for the tealights I thought it would be a great stopper for an easel card to I've made a tealight easel card, hope you like it :-)

We've all used Michelle's beautiful image 'Mary, Mary' for our blog hop projects, you can find her in Michelle's Etsy Store or at Bunny Zoe's Crafts. Mary is such cutie and i love the sentiment that comes with her. Mary is coloured with promarkers and i've used pale green and pink pearl card to make the tea light easel and mat and layer the image. The green card is stamped with an Elusive Images stitched flowers and embossed with white EP. The little tea light box was made using the same stamped card, it has an aperture cut out with a Spellbinders tag die and lined with some recycled clear plastic packaging. The lace, ribbon and flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts. Sorry the pic is a bit dull, we've had nothing but grey days here now for ages and its hard to get a decent pic but hopefully Mary will be a reminder that Spring isn't far away

Here's a little reminder of the blog hop order so you don't get lost lol. Your next stop on the blog hop is Marilyns wonderful blog

Michelle

Jan

Marion

Melissa

Pauline

Andrea

Mari

Claire (You are here)

Marilyn

Tammy

Shelley

Michelle Perkett Studio


I'm entering Mary in the following challenges:
Allsorts: Inspired by Nature
Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Spring - flowers everywhere
Charisma Cardz: Spring has sprung
Crafty Cardmakers: Spotlight plastic (recycled some clear packaging to go inside the aperture of the little box)
Creative Cottage: Fabulous florals
Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday: No patterened papers
Guylou's inimitability: anything goes
I did it Creations: Anything goes
Incy Wincy: Punches or dies
Kaboodle Doodles: Break tradition, Try something new
Karber Monthly challenge: Digi + love and/or friendship
Totally Papercrafts: Do it with digi's

Thanks for calling by today
Claire xx

Fancy joining the Mermaids at MPS??

Just a quick post to let you know that there is a DT call at Michelle Perkett Studio!!

I can't believe its 6 months since I joined Michelle's DT, I've had so much fun and of course Michelle's digi stamps are such a joy to work with I'm staying on the DT!!!! Michelle is looking for some new ladies to join us though so if you fancy joinig us email Michelle to find out more: michelleenchanted@gmail.com

and Michelle will give you a more detailed description of the DT duties and a freebie to work with!

Once you've got your freebie, use it to make a creation of your choice and pop over to Michelle Perkett Studio Blog and add it to the linky thingy!  GOOD LUCK!!

We also have a fab blog hop starting on Tuesday too!

I've been a bit quiet on the blog front as what started as a tiny leak and a bit of decorating in the kitchen has turned into a bit of a nightmare and taken so much longer to do than we thought. I'm itching to get back in my craft room and have a play so hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get inky :-)

Hope you've had a good weekend

Claire xx

Use a CD at Rainbow Lady's Challenge

Hi there, Thursday is here again so that means a new challenge over at Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog and this week our theme is 'USE A CD' and we are sponsored by Amber Ink. The DT were lucky enough to be able to use some gorgeous stamps from Amber Ink for our projects this week. I've used this sassy young lady chatting on the phone, I really love this image, she is so gorgeous and its great to see a girl who's a bit cuddly lol. As soon as I saw her I could see her chatting on the phone to her friend, telling her all about her gorgeous new engagement ring!!

I've coloured the image with promarkers and added some lime stickles to her engagement ring with a dot of glossy accents over the top, its really sparkly IRL but hasn't shown up on the pic too well. The cushion she is leaning on is paper pieced, using a bp from a Debbi Moore's evergreen Cd (a freebie with this months magazine from Debbi Moore Crafts)  and then I fussy cut the whole image (it took ages I can tell you lol)

 The bps are also from the same cd, printed on pearlescent paper, I love these papers and they look scrummy printed out but they are a bit camera shy lol. I've stamped a swirly border around the main bp with a stamp from HOTP and also stamped and embossed a chandelier. The other cushions are made using stamps from Amber Inks on the same bp, overstamped with a background stamp from Elusive Images. I've added a green/black ribbon along the top of the card to finish off.

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

Annabelle Stamps: Say it with polkadots

Challenge up your life: Monochromatic

Crafty Emma's Challenge: Cute and cuddly

Creative Card World: Use a square

Desert Island Crafters: 3 items from the itinerary (no flowers, monochrome and swirls)

I love promarkers: Paper Piecing

Our Creative Corner: Cutting technique (paper piecing and fussy cutting)

Woodware USA: Embossing

Your Next Stamp Challenge: Paper Piecing

Thanks for calling by today, its my first day off and I have 11 days off work yippppppeeeeeeee!! The weather forecast isn't too good but its not going to rain or snow in my craft room so I'm not too bothered. Now i've just got to finish the decorating in the kitchen and the rest of my time off is all mine :-)

 Dig out your cds and get crafting to be in with a chance of winning a lovely prize from our fab sponsor. Don't forget to check out my teamies blogs too as they have some fab cards as always this week

Claire xx

The Queen of Hearts

Hello there, wow we actually had a lovely sunny day yesterday, shame I was a at work but it still makes you feel better when the sun shines. I've made a very quick card for my DT card for Michelle Perkett Studio as I'm still battling on decorating the kitchen. I coloured the gorgeous Queen of Hearts (you can find her in Michelle's ETSY store) a little while ago and got her stuck in my MS punch!! I managed to get her out and surprisingly safe and sound so I've used her to make this little card

The image is coloured with promarkers, punched with MS doiley lace punch and matted on black card also punched with the same punch. I've used an A6 card blank for a change and added a little black gem in each of the corners and a black bow at the top.

A really quick and easy card but to be honest this image is such a cute little character I don't think she needs much else with all those lovely hearts around her!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Bee Crafty: Hearts

Cardmad Fairy's Digi Day: Romance

Crazy 4 Challenges: Hearts

Fun with shapes and more: Hearts

Gingerloft Challenge: The colour red

Guylou's inimitability: I {{heart}} you

One Stop Craft Challenge: Love is in the air

Scrappy Frog Challenge : Love

Stamp-n-Doodle: Red/Pink and white plus 1

Thanks for visiting today, hope you're having a good one

There's a new challenge today over at Michelle Perkett Studio so pop over and check it out, Jan and her lovely team of mermaids have set the theme of 'Your Choice' so its a pretty free and easy challenge you just need to use one of Michelle's beautiful stamps. If you don't have any of Michelle's images pop over to her groups on CDAC, PCP and SNR where you can pick up a fab freebie or two!!

Claire xx

Dragon Luck

I love all the cute dragon stamps by Lisa Victoria at Sweet Pea stamps but this is one of my favourites, Dragon Luck is just adorable and I thought he'd be perfect for a Valentine card with a difference. I was ready for a change after all the pink and red so I've got for bright and zingy lime green for this card

I've coloured the dragon with promarkers and cut him out with one of my lovely nesties that came with my gorgeous parcel of blog candy from the lovely Audrey. Make sure you check out Audrey's blog as she not only has the most awesome blog candy but lots of eye candy too - her cards are gorgeous!!

I've inked around the image with some peeled paint distress ink and I decided to try this weeks sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping. I love clean and simple cards but really struggle with them so this sketch was a real help. I used some scrunchy lime green ribbon down the side of the card and added a little embellie which i made. I concertina folded some lime paper that I'd punched with a MS punch to make the rosette and then made a shink plastic heart button using white shrink plastic stamped with an Elusive Images heart stamp using peeled paint DI. I threaded a little white narrow ribbon through the holes in the shrink plastic button and tied it in a little bow.

I'm also entering this little dragon in the following challenges:

In a Sweet Pea Dream: Anything this time

 The Stamp Man Challenge which is Hearts

 Daring Cardmakers which is a recipe challenge : 2 items of ribbon/trim/ twine (i've used 2 ribbons), one or more buttons and at least one heart element. I hope its ok to combine the heart and button ladies.There is a fab prize from the Ribbon Reel this week at Daring Cardmakers too!!

Samuel Taylor Crafts: copic Chic/Promarker gal (I'm a promarker gal!!)

Thanks for visiting, have a good day. I'm not keen on Monday mornings and going back to work but its a short week for me this week as I'm using up some annual leave and I've got a long weekend off work yippppeeeeeeee!!

Claire xx

I've been a Bad Bah Humbugger

Can you believe we're half way though February and this is my first card for the Bah Humbug challenge?? Oh the shame!! In my defence I blame work and the gremlins that have infested the house this year but to redeem my self a little and hopefully get off the naughty step I've actually done the insert for this card too!

I love this cute little girl stamp from Stampavie, she's coloured with promarkers and matted on some pale blue card and then layered up on a lovely square doiley and popped on a pale blue hammered card blank. I've got loads of these as they are left overs from making our wedding invitations lol. I've added a little white satin bow to finish off.

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

Bah Humbug: Doileys

Challenge up your Life: Monochrome

Craft Your Passion: anything goes

Do You Stack Up: ribbon

Stampin with the Dragon: anything goes

Totally Papercrafts: Clean and Simple

Thanks for popping by today.

Claire xx

Enchanted Love

This weeks Spotlight Image at Michelle Perkett Studio is the beautiful 'Enchanted Love' and that means you can get a fab 20% discount on this gorgeous image in Michelle's Etsy Store. I decided to make an acetate card for a change and to use greens and golds. I thought these colours would be great for a valentine card for a man.

I've coloured the acetate with Alcohol Inks (Pesto, Lettuce, butterscotch and ginger' and stamped an Elusive Images leaf randomly with copper Stazon. I've also edged the acetate with copper stazon. The image is coloured with promarkers, cut out and then glittered with glitters from the Autumn Medallions set of Pee Wee glitters. The copper ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons and inside the card i've used a Marianne doiley diecut so there is somewhere to write.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Love is in the air

Cards for Men: valentine/love

C.R.A.F.T: Valentine

Crafty Catz: Valentine/Love

Incy Wincy: Love

Magical Monday: Love

Ooh La La: For someone special

Polka doodles: Thats Amore (my card is inspired by Frank Sinatra's "Fly me to the moon")

Papercrafting Journey: Love is in the air

Passion for Promarkers: Let there be love

thanks for popping by, sorry I'm a bit quiet lately i've been so busy at work and trying to get sorted out after the gremlins in the kitchen too so its pretty hectic at the minute. We are having the new flooring down soon and I decided it would be a good idea (???) to decorate the kitchen before the new floor was laid. Why does decorating always seem such a good idea until you start lol?? And why does decorating one room always mean that the whole house is a mess? I'm sure it will be worth it when its done though .

Claire xx

Love is all around at Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog

Friday at last and i've got the day off work so I'm a very happy bunny. Today's card is my DT card for our new challenge over at Crafty Ann's Challenge blog where the theme is 'Love is all around'. Ann has some gorgeous new images that will be perfect for all our romantic cards but as my poor old printer conked out i've used one of my old favourites from Crafty Ann's  as I already had this image printed out.

The image is coloured with promarkers and distress inks, matted on red card and gold mirri card. The BP is from Graphicus and has been edged with gold ep. The sentiment is an Elusive images stamp. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the red and gold ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew: for a loved one

Creative Card world: Love

Cupcake: Seeing red

Everybody Art Challenge: Love

Passion for Promarkers: Let there be love 

Scrapbook Sisters: My Valentine

Sisterhood of Crafters: In love with valentines

Spoon Full of Sugar: Let's see some love

Top tip Tuesday: Frame it

Thanks for calling by today. If you have a minute pop over to my teamies blogs (links in sidebar) as they have some amazing cards to share .

Claire xx

Rainbow Lady's Challenge this week

This weeks challenge at Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog is all about 'LOVE' and we are sponsored by the fab Chi Chi Memories who kindly gave the DT some supercute images to play with. Here's my card using two cute images and a sentiment from the 'Meaning of Love' set of digital stamps. I haven't used traditional Valentine's Day colours as I wanted to use lots of pretty spring colours in this card.

I printed the flowers our twice in a row and coloured with promarkers before adding some clouds with tumbled glass distress ink. The adorable little bird is cut out and attached on a 'n' shaped strip of acetate to make him 'fly' over the flowers. The ribbon is, as usual from Crafty Ribbons. The sentiment was cut out with a spellbinders die and attached with a couple of pink brads.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Catch the Bug: Anything Goes

Crafty Cardmakers: Hearts

Crazy 4 Challenges: Valentine cards

Digital Tuesday: from the heart

For Fun challenge: Hearts

I did it creations: Love is in the air

One stitch at a time: Anything Digi

Papertake Weekly: Have a heart

Penny's Papercrafty Challenge: hearts a flutter

Sew Many Challenges: Anything goes

thanks for calling by,

Claire xx

Sending a note/Valentine Challenge at Michelle Perkett Studio

Hi its time for a new challenge at Michelle Perkett Studio and this week our theme is 'Valentines/Passing a note. Michelle has some gorgeous images for you valentine cards in her Etsy store and I was really tempted to use the Love Letter Fairy but decided to use 'The Love Fairy' for my DT card. Michelle also has a supercute new Queen of Hearts image which I was hoping to use to make a Valentine tag but its currently stuck in a Martha Stewart punch lol.

I've coloured Love Fairy with promarkers and added clear Sparkle EP to her wings and red sparkle EP to the hearts although it doesn't show up too well in the pic. The ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons and the red card was cuttlebugged using a gorgeous embossing folder that I received in a wonderful parcel of blog candy from my cyber buddy Audrey (pop over to her blog as she has some more candy up for grabs too!!)

The flowers are actually from an arrangement of silk flowers that someone gave me ages ago, layered on to a red paper flower and some rose leaves from the same silk flower arrangement. The satin effect bp is from my stash.

I'm entering the Love Fairy in the following challenges:

Bee Crafty : Hearts

Crafts and Me: Red

Crafty Emma's Challenge: Red and Romance

Crafty Ho's Challenge: Love

Crafty Purple Frog: Valentine's Day/Romance

Creative Inspirations Paint: Inspired by hearts

Moving Along with the times: Red

Sentimental Sunday: Valentines Day

The Crafty Pad: Love is in the Air

I hope you find time to join us in our challenge this week at Michelle Perkett Studio, if you don't have one of Michelle's images then you can pop over to her Etsy Store or pick up a freebie from one of Michelle's groups on SNR, CDAC or PCP.

Thanks for visiting today

Claire xx

Purple grey and silver Sweet Pea

I haven't posted a Sweet Pea card for a while, I'm totally addicted to these gorgeous stamps though so I'm back with a very sparkly card for the challenge over at Sweet Pea Stampers where the theme is 'Glitz and Glamour'

The bp is from Graphicus, stamped with a large Elusive images border stamp, embossed with silver sparkle EP. The edges fo the bp have been distressed and embossed with the same EP and dots of stickles added at the corners. The sentiment is also a stamp from Eluisve images.

The main image is 'Coral Immersion' from ching chou kuik, shecoloured with promarkers and to add some glitz and glamour I used Stickums powder to emboss lines through her hair and on the chalked background. Once I'd heated the stickums powder I brushed over some mica powders in silver and purple. I love the effect although its difficult to see in the pic.

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

Aly's Sunday Challenge: bling bling

Charisma Cardz: No embellishments

Ellephantastic: Distressing + love

Little Claire's: Anything goes

Oldie but Goodie: Fairy/mermaid/magical beings (not sure how long i've had the sweet pea stamp but I've had the Elusive images border stamp for years)

Paperplay: Stamp it Out

Phindy's Place: embossing

Thanks for calling by today. I hope you're having a good start to the week. Its blowing a gale here today, I'm sat in my little office having my lunch and it sounds like the roof is going to blow away lol. Its a really old building so when the weather is like this it creaks and groans like nobody's business. Anyway I'd better get back to work while we've still got a roof :-)

Claire xx

Romance/Valentines challenge at Let's Ink It Up!

Where did January go???We couldn't believe how many amazing entries we had for our last challenge at Let's Ink It Up, it was hard to choose the winner and top 5 I can tell you!! Thanks so much to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winner and Top 5.  I can't wait to see everyone's creations for our new challenge, the theme is Romance/Valentines!

As always we have a wonderful sponsor with a fab prize for the winner! This month our sponsor is Whiff of Joy and they are offering the lucky winner a gorgeous stamp 'Willow with Champagne'!

I've gone a bit shabby chic (well definitely shabby lol) for my DT card this time around.

I've used some embossed cream card for the base and made a background using distress inks (antique linen, tea dye and spun sugar) overstamped with big swirly corner stamps from Elusive Images. The vellum is stamped with a script stamp using tea dye DI and the hearts are also made using stamps from Elusive Images. I stamped them with cream pigment ink and embossed with clear EP and then added more of the same distress inks.

The butterflies are made using an Anna Griffin punch. The ribbons, lace (dyed with distress inks), pearls and tassel are all from my stash. The flower is made using a strip of the leftover bp, punched with a MS punch and concertina'd before layering it over some lace.

I love making cards that start out as plain white card, and I really enjoyed making this although its not my usual style at all.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts: Love, love love

Artistic Stamper: Love is in the air

Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Love is in the air

Crafty Calendar: Love

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday: Valentines

If the Shoe Fits: Get your pink on

Polka Doodles: with hearts

Raise the Bar: Hearts

Simon Says Stamp and Show :Some love

Stampin for the Weekend: Valentines Day

The Shabby Tea Room: Get creative

Try it on Tuesday: Feel the luurve! (with a fab prize from One Stop Crafts)

Make sure you check out my teamies blogs, its the last challenge for the current DT and they've really pulled out all the stops and come up with the most amazing creations so pop over and leave them some love :-)

Thanks for popping by today, I hope our new challenge will put you in the mood for some love lol

Claire xx

Soulmates

This weeks Spotlight Image at Michelle Perkett Studio is 'Soulmates', a perfect image for an alternative Valentine card and this week you can get a fab 20% off this lovely image in Michelle's Etsy Store.

The image has been coloured with promarkers and for some added bling I used stickles for the bubbles. Once the stickles dried I covered them with glossy accents. Michelle finds the most beautiful quotations to accompany her images but I've used this one separately for a change.

I made the bp using peeled paint and tumbled glass distress inks and some starburst stains. I covered the wet background with a layer of bubble wrap while it was drying to give a bubbly, watery effect. The flowers were made from papers from the Artylicious 'Essence of Nature' cd.

To finish off I added some blue and green organza ribbon, an acetate goldfish made with a stamp from Joanna Sheen, coloured with orange tinkabella ink and some lime green memory thread 'seaweed'.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Cardmad Fairy: Romance

Fairy Fun Friday: for a Sweetheart

I love Promarkers: Anything goes + promarkers

Karber Weekly challenge: Something old + a digi (my goldfish stamp is my something old)

Sew Many Challenges: Anything goes

Simon Says Stamp: Love is in the air

Stamp Something: digi day

Stampin' Sisters in Christ: Green and blue

thanks for visiting today, you still have time to enter this weeks challenge over at

Michelle Perkett Studio!! The theme is 'Scallops and Frames' and the DT have come up with some amazing samples

Claire xx

News from LIIU!

Its a sad time for us at Let's Ink It Up as the first DT term is ending with today's challenge at Let's Ink It Up, what a wonderful talented bunch of ladies!! Its always sad to say goodbye and we're certainly going to miss our lovely DT ladies but I'd also like to give them a huge thank you for all their gorgeous creations over the past 6 months (OMG where did 6 months go??). Make sure you pop over to LIIU later and check out their creations for the new challenge .

Its not all bad news though, some of the DT girls are staying on and we also have some fabulously talented ladies joining us too!!! There were so many amazingly talented applications for the DT we're going to have 2 teams of 8 and our challenges are going to be every 2 weeks instead of monthly. It was so difficult choosing the new DT members as everyone was so talented. Anyway our new teams are

Team A

Suzanne (Team Leader and Challenge Owner)

Tammy

Shirley

Sharon

Patsi

Brenda

Sharon H

Cor

Team B

Claire (Team Leader and Senior DT - thats me folks)

Joanna

Alicia

Dawn

Caz

Sharon P

Fliss

Suzanne B

Team A will be kicking off with the first challenge of the new DT Term on 6th March (Sydney Australia time) but don't forget to check out the new challenge at LIIU today as our outgoing members are really going out with a bang and you'll be blown away by their creations :-)

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