In the pink with Lavinia stamps

Good morning, how's you today? I'm planning on spending the day in my craft room but before I go and get inky here's my entry for this months challenge at Lavinia Stamps. I was lucky enough to win the challenge a couple of months ago and oh my goodness, what a treat! I adore Lavinia stamps, they are gorgeous and it was like Christmas when my parcel arrived lol.

This card was made using PanPastels in Magenta Tint, Magenta, plus the shade and extra dark. I've stamped the images with Memento inks in Tuxedo Black and Rose Bud, adding some highlights with a white Graph'It shake pen. The gorgeous toadstool houses were coloured with Graph'It Markers and I decoupaged them for a bit of extra depth. To finish off I've added a big deep pink bow, a bead cap and a beautiful sparkly button.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps: buttons bows and bling

Allsorts: pretty in pink

Crafty Calendar:  Animal Antics

Stamping Sensations: Pretty in Pink

The Stamping Boutique: use bunnies

Thanks for visiting today, 

Claire xx

Going for Gold at Indigo Blu

Good morning folks, Monday morning and the first proper day of my week off work, omg its so lovely to be able to potter round in my pjs instead of dashing off to work. As always I've got a long list of jobs that need doing but hopefully I'll make time for lots of crafting too. Today's card is my entry for the 'Going for Gold' challenge at Indigo Blu, I had loads of messy fun making it.

I began by stamping and masking the focal image, she's so pretty, one of my favourite stamps. Then I got to work with acrylic paints in yellow and pink, blending them with a baby wipe. Once that was dry came some stencilling with my favourite harlequin stencil and Maimeri Light modelling paste cooured with pink here and there.

Next came the flittergluing and gilding, using the Indigo Blu honeycomb stamp, I also gilded the edges of the card and the card I'd cut to mat and layer. I got a bit carried away with the old flitter glu and gilded some of the stencilled background and the metal corner too. The cogs are Altered Egos also from Indigo Blu, I was temped to gild these too but decided to use embossing powders for more of an aged look, some using gold and some using shabby pink frantage powder.

I removed the mask and coloured the image with my Graph'It markers, adding a bit more paint to blend the image with the background. For a little more depth I decoupaged the flowers and the butterfly too.

To finish off i've added a seam binding bow, a rose made with modelling paste in a silicone mould and a little brass butterfly charm.

I'm entering thie card in the following challenges:

A&T Emerald Faeries: girly pretty in pink

Allsorts: pretty in pink

Alphabet: C is for country flowers

As you like it: favourite colouring medium 

(Graph'It Markers, love the vibrant colours and they way they blend so easily)

Its all about the vintage: masking

My time to craft: charming

Sweet Stampin: mothers day or special lady

have a great day and thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Scrap 365 meets Premium Craft Brand for blog hopping fun

Good morning my lovelies, its a very exciting day for me today as its not only the first day of my week of work (yippppeeeeeee) but us lucky girlies at Premium Craft Brands PanPastel DT are joining in with the talented team from Scrap365 Magazine Blog for a very colourful blog hop!

Premium Craft Brands have donated a fantastic set of Donna Downey Pan Pastels for the lucky winner of our Blog Hop prize draw :)

To take part in the blog hop you need to follow the trail of our blogs (below) to see all the amazing creations from everyone - we have some wonderful layouts and projects for you which will blow you away! Make sure you visit each blog and leave a comment so we know you've visited and you will go in the draw for that wonderful set of Donna Downey Pan Pastels which is worth £41.95!!! 

The random winner will be chosen from all the comments by Ali from Scrap365 and will be announced 20th March at 5pm on the Scrap365 blog and the Pan Pastel blog.

The challenge was to go crazy with colour and we began by picking out a colour palette from a fab site called Design Seeds, here's my pick and I began by matching up the colours with PanPastels

It was only when I actually began my project that I realised I'd picked a colour palette with red orange purple and lime green! Eeeeeeeeeeeek! Not only that but I'd never made a scrapbook layout before either, double eeeeeeeeeeeek! Anyway I can never resist a challenge so I got to work with my PanPastels and Maimeri mediums and had soooooooo much fun lol.

I printed the pics (of my gorgeous fur babies Benji and Barney) on printable canvas and cut them out with deckle edged scissors. I used Violet Tint and Paynes Grey PanPastel to create the background, stamping with a honeycomb stamp and white gesso. Next I added lots of texture with Maimeri Light Modelling paste using a Palette knife, stencil and more stamping (although it doesn't show up too well in the pic)

The flowers and leaves are all stamps from Chocolate Baroque, I coloured the cardstock with PanPastels and sealed with hairspray before stamping the images with white embossing powder and cutting them out. I curled the petals and shaped the leaves and then set to layering them all up. I added buttons and bakers twine from my stash and then came lots of pretty little laser cut butterflies from Dutch Doobadoo 

I stamped the words at the top left corner and then used some scraps of card to create the bunting with the word 'colour'. To finish off I used some Dutch Doobadoo card arrows painted with white gesso. Hope you like my very colourful layout lol!!

So, now you need to click on the link here and go to the Scrap365 blog and Ali's post HERE 

or if you've just come from there then your next stop on the blog hop is Natalie's Blog so hop on over and check out her gorgeous project!

Here is the list you need to follow just in case you get lost along the way:

Scrap365 and Ali's post - HERE! ..... http://scrap365.blogspot.com/

Nikky Hall -  http://nikkyhall.com/

Riikka Kovasin -  http://paperiliitin.blogspot.co.uk/

Lou Sims -  http://lulucardmaking.blogspot.com/

Sandra Przbylska -  http://sandrap2206.blogspot.co.uk/

Tracy Easson -   http://queeniesscrapmad.blogspot.co.uk/

Lisa Saunders -  http://scrappyfairies.blogspot.co.uk/

Terry Wietma-Girbes -  http://www.cardscreativity.blogspot.co.uk/

Tracee Provis -  http://stresstickled.blogspot.co.uk/

Claire Chapman -  http://clairescraftycreations.blogspot.co.uk/

Natalie Macdonald -  http://njmacs.blogspot.co.uk/

RETURN to Scrap365 to leave a comment for the prize draw :) -  http://scrap365.blogspot.com/

I'm entering this in the following challenges:
Corrosive Challenge: animals
Fab'n'Funky: animals (no people)
Scrapping  for fun: flowers
Use your Stuff: animals

Have fun hopping and all the very best of luck, someone is going to be in for a real treat with all those gorgeous PanPastels!! We'll be back with a new challenge at Premium Craft Brands PanPastel Challenge next Sunday!

Claire xx

Graph'it Whimsy Valentine challenge winner!!!

No card today but a little good news, well very good news for 

Agapanthus

as random.org picked you out as my lucky winner from the Graph'It/Whimsy Challenge and you've won a pack of 3 Graph'It Markers!!!!!

Congratulations hun, message me your snail mail addy and i'll pass it on so your prize can be sent out!

Claire xx

Fairy friends from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, today's card features the gorgeous new Spring Fairy stamps from Chocolate Baroque. I love the beautiful fresh colours of spring so I really enjoyed making this card, the new stamps are fab!

I stamped the fairy (from May Fairy) and the bird on the grass (from April Fairy) and coloured them with Graph'It markers, adding the grass by flicking the markers. I used PanPastels to add the sky to the little scene. 

The background was made using distress inks in shades of yellow and green. I used the acrylic block technique and then stencilled over them using the same inks with the Crafters Workshop Punchinella Template. I stamped the delicate flourish from March Fairy around the edges. I added a some lace, gingham ribbon, paper flowers and a little bee charm from my stash to finish off and popped my design on a scalloped card blank.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Craftitude: anything goes or add green

Created with love: think spring

Fantasy Stampers: Spring colours

Stamp and Create: Ready for Spring

Tando Creative: brown, green and yellow

Thanks for popping by today

Claire xx

Imagination iin bloom: Fuchsias

Good morning my lovelies, I'm rushing off to work as usual but before I go I just wanted to share this card made for the March challenge at Imagination Crafts Challenge where the theme is Imagination in Bloom

The main image is one of my favourite stamps from Imagination Crafts, fuchsias are one of my favourite flowers and I adore this stamp. I've coloured the image with my Graph'It marrkers and distressed the edges with shabby shutters Distress ink. 

I've layered it up over a shaped card front from Craftwork cards, I've used an Imagination Crafts stencil with Sparkle medium on that layer, distressing the edges again with shabby shutters. The card blank was stamped with some of the little stamps from the Fuchsia stamp set and again distressed with more shabby shutters distress ink. 

I've added some ribbon,lace, pearls and a die cut butterfly to finish off.

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

Amusing Challenges: green

Cards Galore Encore: use a stamp or digi

Cut it up: green or Spring

Open Minded Challenges: something green

Penny's Paper Crafty: anything but square

Totally Gorjuss: pink and green

Thanks for visiting, have a great day and hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

Work and Play from Polkadoodles

Good morning my lovelies, how did Monday come around so quickly?? Ah well back to work this morning but if I can stagger through this week then I've got a whole week off, and believe me I can't wait lol. My card this morning features one of the supercute new images from the Work and Play collection from Polka Doodles, I love this little cutie, she's adorable!

The Work and Play collection has a really fun range of characters and some fab papers and sentiments to go with them too

I've used my Graph'It markers to colour the image and layered her up over one of the backing papers. I was a bit stuck for ideas for embellies as I didn't want to use lace or flowers anyway I had a bit of a brainwave and added some ribbon and eyelets to look like trainer laces lol. The ticket sentiment is also from the collection and I added some little buttons to finish off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

ABC challenge: g is for girls

Bearly Mine: one for the girls

Creative Corner: button up

East Wind: use a digi

Just for Fun: anything goes

Scrap it Girl: birthday

Wags'n'Whiskers: sports

Thanks so much for visiting today, hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

3 Textures at Premium Craft Brands

Good morning and a very happy Sunday to you. We're supposed to be having lovely weather this weekend but I don't know what went wrong yesterday, no sunshine and freezing cold but at least it didn't rain I suppose. Its time for our new challenge at Premium Craft Brands PanPastel challenge and this week its all about texture! As always there is a fab prize of Premium Craft brands goodies for our lucky winner and lots of gorgeous inspiration from my lovely teamies so if you've got a minute do pop over and check out the challenge blog.

For my DT project I've altered a little book box and had loads of messy fun lol. I began by painting the box with black gesso. While that was drying I took some kraft card and smothered it with Maimeri Iridescent paste coloured with gold and copper PanPastels. I added texture with a palette knife and then spritzed a honeycomb rubber stamp from Indigo Blu with water and stamped in to the paste.

 I left it to dry and then added more paste through a Pronty Stencil to create the roses. Once that was dry I went over the textured card here and there with Graph'It markers in greens and turquoise and spritzed with Mix'It fluid

I cut the card to size and used it to cover the box. Now for some more texture, and I'm really chuffed with the way this turned out :-)

I've always wanted to create the look of pages on these little boxed but never really worked out how to do it, anyway inspiration struck and I took some Maimeri Light Modelling Paste and spread it round the edges of the box with a palette knife and then went around the edge with a Texture Tool. Again once it was dry I painted with black gesso and then ran a versmark inkpad over the sides and highlighted with metallic PanPastels. To finish off I've added a laser cut butterfly from Dutch Doobadoo, embossed with WOW verdigris EP

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Basteltraum: gifts and boxes

Delicious doodles: anything but a card

Frilly and Funkie: stencils and texture

Inky chicks: monochromatic

Thanks so much for visiting, have a good day

Claire xx

Inspired by water at Fashionable Stamping Challenges

Good morning my lovelies, we've got a brand new challenge starting at Fashionable Stamping Challenges and our theme is 'Inspired by Water', chosen by my lovely teamie Amanda. As always there is a fab prize from our generous sponsor Flonzcraft too! Now I adore this theme and had sooooo much fun making my projects, but trying to take the photos was a total nightmare eeeeeeeek!

I created 4 little underwater scenes using Stampbord coasters, and stamps from Flonzcraft and  Sheena Douglass and a mixture of memento and distress inks.

I added a little glossy accents to the 'bubbles'. The backgrounds were made using my DutchDoobadoo 'Bricks' stencil with Maimeri Light Modelling Paste on a mountboard base. I coloured the bricks with distress inks.

Once everything was dry I added eyelets and grabbed some garden twine from the shed to attach the squares together using nautical knots - this knot is called the Carrick Bend and there is a fab tutorial here on animated knots.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

4 Crafty Girlz: anything goes

All Crafts: anything but a card

Craftitude: anything goes/add a little green

Crafty Bloggers Network: nature

Stampotique Designers Challenge #137: textured background

Red Rubber: stamp your own background

Through the Craft room door: anything goes

Well thanks for visiting today, hope you're having a good weekend

Claire xx

We do Doobadoo!

Good morning, ooooooh how exciting, its the first challenge at 'We do Doobadoo' today and what fun we've had playing with all the gorgeous goodies from Dutch Doobadoo. Talk about kid in a sweetshop lol. Our first challenge is all about hearts and there is a fabby prize up for grabs too so do pop over to the new challenge blog and have a little look around.

I made a little wall hanging by cutting a heart shape from grey board and priming it with Maimeri Gesso before getting busy with Maimeri Light Modelling Paste and the gorgeous a5 'Bricks' stencil from Dutch Doobadoo. Once that was dry I added some crackle paint and once that was dry I added colour with permanent red tint and burnt sienna tint PanPastels. The image is one of my favourite Polkadoodles stamps, coloured with Graph'It markers.

I've put that many embellies on you can hardly see the lovely brick effect lol:

Here are some of the gorgeous products from Dutch Doobadoo that i've used to create my little wallhanging, you can find them here:

   

I've also added a doily, paper flowers (most from my stash but a couple of roses made with aTattered pine cone die), lace, ribbon, paper flowers and a sizzix die cut birdie on a branch.

I'm entering this one in the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge: b is for buttons and bows

Challenges and Candies: flowers

Creative Corner: button up

Left of Centre: die cuts

Paper Pretties: lots of layers

Penny's Paper Crafty: anything but a square

Papertake weekly: anything goes

Thanks for visiting today, hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

Male Colours at Graph'It

Good morning (again lol), this is my second post of the day so please scroll down for my Polkadoodles DT project. This card is for our new challenge over at Graph'It Markers where we've got a bit of a blokey theme going on, as ever there's a fab prize up for grabs and loads of inspiration from my lovely teamies so hop on over to find out all the details.

I've used a LOTV stamp, coloured with my beloved Graph'It markers (for a full list of colours used pop over to the challenge blog). I wanted to give him some depth so I cut out the image and the tree to decoupage them. I love to see those gorgeous dotty backgrounds but they take soooooooooo long to do I usually get bored lol. Anyway I decided to experiment with my background - I marked the position of the image on the die cut I was using for the background and then took my Graph'Its and used the outside of an old biro as an airbrush to create a mist of ink around where the image would go. Here's a better view of the image:

The sentiments and backing paper are also LOTV stamps. I've added some ribbon, raffia lace and some tiny buttons to finish off. I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Craft your passion: birthdays

Divas by Design: Masculine

House of Cards: cute/shabby plus button

Little Miss Muffet: anything goes

Paper Crafting journey: make it manly

Seize the birthday: anything goes

Sisterhood of Crafters: Masculine

The Male Room: blue green and brown

thanks so much for visiting today, have a good day and hope to see you again soon
Claire xx

Mum's the word at Polkadoodles

Good morning folks, we've got a fun new challenge starting over at Polkadoodles this morning and as always there is lots of inspiration from my teamies and a fabby prize up for grabs so do pop over and have a lool if you've got a minute. For my DT card I've used an image and backing paper from Dollie Daydream Girl Talk collection. I just love these images and this is one of my favourite papers from the cd.

I've coloured the image with my Graph'It Markers and added some clouds and grass with PanPastels. The bunting was cut from some scraps of backing paper and I've written 'MUM' with my white Graph'it Shake pen. To finish off I've added some faux pearls, lace, ribbon, a paper flower and one of Nikky's gorgeous ticket sentiments.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Card Mania: use a sentiment

CRAFT: Mothers Day/Female

Crafty Ribbons: anything goes with ribbon

Creative Knockouts: Girlz rule

Papertake Weekly: anything goes

Southern Girls: swinging in the breeze

Thanks so  much for popping by today

Claire xx

New Stamps from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, hope you're having a good week so far. My project today is  a card created using the beautiful new stamps 'Magical Landscapes' from Chocolate Baroque. They are such a beautiful selection of images and although they'll work perfectly with all the lovely fairy stamps as soon as I saw this image I knew I wanted to use it with this mermaid from Underwater Kingdom

The background was made using distress inks, tumbled glass, shabby shutters, salty ocean and mowed lawn. I also used some of the ink from my craft mat to colour the ribbon. I overstamped the background with one of the stamps from Abstract Fragments and embossed with white embossing powder.

The image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with Graph'It Markers, I added some 'waves' with a white sharpie pen and glitter. I also used the Crafters Workshop Tile Texture stencil with clear gel medium and once that was dry I inked with more Tumbled Glass and Broken China distress ink

I've distressed all the edges with my craft knife and added shells, pearls and cheescloth from my stash to finish off.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:
Artistic Inspirations: anything goes/ sparkles

Deep Ocean: just for a girl
Open Minded: something green
Papertake Weekly: anything goes
Really Reasonable Ribbon: Show me green and ribbon
Totally Papercrafts: make it shine

Thanks for popping by today

Claire xx

Just for you at Flonzcraft Vintage Stamping challenges

Good morning (if a Monday morning can be good lol), I seem to have blinked and missed the weekend, I can't believe I'm back at work today. I'd much rather stay at home with my fur babies and craft but needs must I suppose. We've got a new challenge at Flonzcraft Vintage Stamping Challenges and I have chosen our theme this month, I picked 'Just for you' so its time to make something for yourself! We always seem to be making cards and stuff for other people so I thought this would be a fun challenge theme. As always our generous sponsor Flonzcraft have a generous $20 voucher for our lucky winner and of course there is always the honour of the 'Highly Desirables' badge so I do hope you're going to play along.

I've altered a little magnetic notebook for my DT project, I made one for my MIL at Christmas so this was a good excuse to make one for myself and to use some pretty spring colours too. The stamp is, of course from Flonzcraft, coloured with Graph'It Markers and I've paper pieced her dress. The papers and diecut flowers are all from Craftwork Cards, the papers have been distressed with a little vintage photo distress ink and a craft knife.

To finish off i've stamped some bunting using freebie stamps from a magazine and added die cuts, lace, ribbon and pearls

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

ABC: G is for girls

Addicted to stamps: lace and pearls

Allsorts: spring is coming

Country View Crafts: paper chase

Dream Valley: vintage

Eclectic Ellapu: vintage

Natalie and Amy's: Flowers

The Craft Garden: pastel colours

Thanks for popping by today, hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

Frame it at Premium Craft Brands

Good morning folks, and a big warm welcome to my lovely new followers! Sunday morning so its time for a new challenge at Premium Craft Brands PanPastel Challenge and as always there is a fab prize for our lucky winner from our generous sponsor Berni at Your Creativity Store. This time around out theme is 'Frame it', if you've got a min do pop over and check out my teamies gorgeous artwork, they are such a talented bunch!

For my DT project I took an old MDF clock blank that I'd started working on but looked awful, it had been sat in the corner of my craft room for ages looking really sorry for itself so I decided to see if I could save it. I got to work with Maimeri Light Modelling Paste and a palette knife, spreading it liberally all over and then creating some texture with the edge of the palette knife to create the effect of wood (hopefully lol). Once it was dry I added some colour with PanPastels and watered down gesso.

The little scene was created with stamps from Sheena Douglass and coloured with PanPastels, I just love sea themed stamps! I used a white Graph'It Shake pen for the fence

The fishing next at the back of the frame is from Joanna Sheen, attached with my hot glue gun - omg I always get in such a mess when I use hot glue lol. I've added some shells from my stash and stamped some text to create a little message and popped in in a bottle.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Altered Eclecctics: alter something

Crafts 4 Eternity: texture

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Paste

Rhedd's Creative Spirit: altered art

Rhedd and Rosie's: anything but a card

Thanks for visiting today, have a lovely day and hope to see you again soon

Claire xx