A tiny Christmas card

Hi, a very quick Christmas card from me today (and a very flat one as I am still without a camera grrrrrrr). I got some freebie little pearlescent cards with some card stock and I've used on to make this weeks card for the challenge over at Bah Humbug which is 'Through the window' and Cardvaarks challenge which is to make a tag or mini card using some stamping.

I usually make large cards so this was a bit of a challenge but thats the point of challenges I suppose lol. I cut a square out of the card front and attached some acetate to the back, adding some silver border peel offs to look like leading  on the window.

I created a little brayered scene for the back of the card. I masked the moon and hills and added dots with a versamark pen for snow and then brayered with blue dye ink and then very lightly with black dye ink. I then sponged the hills with a little grey dye ink for some definition. I added the trees (Tim Holtz stamps) and then some glittery highlights with a quicky glue pen and some Glenda's Glitter in snowflake. The snowman is from an Elusive images themeplate, stamped and coloured with promarkers and sakura stardust highlights.

I'm also entering this card in this weeks challenge from Die Cut Dreams Christmas Challenge which is Snowmen

Thanks for calling by

Claire xx

Meet Jack and Jill, they have some news for you!!

Here are Jack'n'Jill, an adorable image from the lovely CJ at Cowgirl Up Designs. I love these little cuties and I've coloured them with promarkers for this card

I've used some Anna Griffin papers  and ribbon(shhhhh don't tell, they are from a Christmas kit lol) and made some flowers using a template. I've added glittery centres to the flowers and some tiny buttons to the corners of the image. The sentiment is a stamp from Elusive images. I did use a sketch for the card layout but missed the deadline for the challenge - story of my life this week lol but I'm also entering Jack and Jill in the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday: Whateva

A Pocket Full of Posies: All that glitters

I did it creations: cute cute cute

Fab'n'Funky: Spotty, dotty and stretchy stripes

There's a clue in this card to Sunday's challenge over at Cowgirl Up Designs Sunday Stampen Challenge - guess what,  its going to be all about buttons and ribbon!! There will be some more inspiration too but you'll have to pop over on Sunday to find out more!! The challenge will be sponsed by Pollycraft and there are also some of CJs gorgeous images up for grabs too!!

There's still time to enter this weeks sketch challenge over at Cowgirl Up - there is a fab prize from our sponsor K Andrew Designs AND CJ has also decided to give 4 of her gorgeous images to the winner too!!! The top 3 won't be left out as they will all get one of CJs images too!!

Thanks for visiting, I hope you are having a good day

Claire xx

Oops i did it again....

Every week I start a card for the Sweet Pea Stampers challenge but I never get it finished in time! I've just  finished my card today and I really enjoyed making it and  it fits the bill for lots of other challenges so all is not lost. Although talking of lost, my camera is lost and I'm not a happy bunny. My DS borrowed it on Saturday to go to a party and came in at 8am on Sunday, rather the worse for wear with a broken phone (he'd dropped it in his beer) and no camera! He's going to be on the naughty step for a long time for this one.

Anyway here is my card,

I've used this weeks sketch from C.R.A.F.T challenges for the layout, the main backing paper is from an Artylicious cd and the deeper purple panel is a bp I made with radiant rain paint dabbers and starburst stains. I stamped and embossed an Elusive images swirl around the purple panel and then drew round the oval on the backing paper and did the same around that. I added some purple ribbon to the panel and attached the tag with a metal butterfly charm. The tag is a creative acrylic piece which has been embossed on the back with lilac and green shimmery EPs and on the front with the word 'Magical' which is a sentiment from Sweet Pea Stamps.

The main image is  one of my favourite sweet pea stamps, Ching Chou Kuik's 'Full Moon'. I stamped the image and masked it before stamping the tree, foliage (all using Elusive Images Stamps) and inked in a  cloudy sky. I then removed the mask and coloured the image with promarkers and embossed her  wings with clear sparkle EP. I've attached it with 3d foam and added some roses made from strips of canvas coloured with glimmer mists and lilac stickles and some leaves cut on my cricut.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Drunken Stampers: masking

Crafts and Me: Purple and Green

OSAAT: Mystical

Simon Says Stamp and Show:Things with wings

Alphabet challenge: O is for ovals

Craft your Days away: Use your favourite things (lots of my favourite things in this card - the colours, the stamps, I also love masking and getting inky too.)

Paper Sundaes: Metal (the little butterfly charm)

Thanks for looking,

Claire xx

Michelle Perkett DT Call

Good morning, I really should change the name of my blog to 'Crafting with the Lark' or something as I'm going through a phase of getting up at 5am, still it gives me more time to craft so I shouldn't complain.

Michelle Perkett has a DT call out over on her challenge blog, now I'm a huge fan of Michelle's digi stamps, they are all so beautiful and delicate (have a look in Michelle's store and you'll just fall in love with them all!!) BUT I'm really busy at work at the minute. I've been ummming and ahhing about putting in for the DT call but finally decided to go for it as crafting is much more important than work lol!

To enter the DT call, Michelle has kindly provided one of her lovely images to make a card and this is what i've come up with

The image is coloured with promarkers and then I embossed the icing with some blue shimmery EP and added a little glitter to the plate. I've cut the image out and popped it up on 3d foam on a circular mat which I dusted with blue ink and embossed with swirls (using a HOTP stamp) in the same shimmery EP. I've added a doiley (you've got to have a doiley with cake lol) which has been inked and also has some little dots of pale blue stickled. The bp is from Joanna Sheen and the blue glitter card and lace are from my stash.

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

City Crafter: Yum

My time to Craft: Eat cake or drink it up

I love promarkers: Sketch and no more than 3 colours

Our creative corner: Its embossable

Stamp Something: photo inspiration

Cupcake: Lace

Usually at this time, I'd be rushing round getting ready for work but I have the day off today AND the sun is shining. Thanks for looking,  I hope your week gets off to a good start too :-)

Claire xx

Exciting news!!!!

Woooo hooooo !!! How excited am I? I'm so happy to say that i've been chosen as a DT member for Suzanne's  new challenge blog at  Lets Ink It Up which is all about rubber stamping

I'm really proud to be part of such a talented team - Suzanne has picked out some really inspirational ladies and I'm really looking forward to working with them. Our first challenge will be announced on September 5th and they will run every 2 weeks so there will be plenty of time to get inky.

Suzanne has got some exciting sponsors lined up but before the challenges start there is some fab blog candy on offer so pop over and become a follower to be in with a chance of winning

. I'm going to be offering some candy too - my son has lost my camera so I'll be announcing that as soon as he finds it so watch this space lol.

Claire xx

Cowgirl's Sunday Stamp'en Challenge - Sketch

This week over at Cowgirl's Sunday Stampen Challenge we have a fab sketch to inspire you.

 I've used CJ's image 'Maggie' from Cowgirl Up Designs Stampen Ranch coloured with promarkers for this card

We have a fab sponsor for this weeks challenge, the lucky winner will receive a prize from K Andrew Designs:

"I make digital cutting files for the cricut, pazzles, robomast/sillouhette/wishblade, knk, etc. I'm attaching my blog as requested--and my prize will be a collection of cutting files chosen by me. I have card ones, etc. "

The winner and top 3 will also get a fab badge for their blog and CJ is also giving the top 3 one of her gorgeous images!

Right, back to my card. i've used some gorgeous bps from Rasberry Road Designs which have been distressed with black soot DI. I also dusted black ink around the image and added a little red stickles to her tiara. The butterfly is from Aspects of Design and is stamped on acetate with black stazon and glittered with red glitter. The flowers are made using strips of canvas and then sprayed with lava red cosmic shimmer and once they were dry, I added more red stickles. I used scraps of black lace for the leaves. The sentiment is one of my favourite stamps from HOTP stamped in red ink and matted on some black card.

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

Cupcake: Distressing

Delightful Challenges: Distressing

Burtoneque Dolls: Victorian Style

Thanks for looking, I hope you're going to join us again this week. If you have time pop over and visit my teamies blogs for some fabulours inspiration. I can't wait to see your creations using this weeks sketch

Claire xx

Anything Goes at CD Sunday

I've made this card for the challenge over at CD Sunday which is 'Anything Goes' but I just can't get a decent photo of it. I'm quite pleased with the finished result 'in the flesh' so its a shame about the pic

I've used a backing paper from the new Artylicious CD 'Essence of Nature' which is perfect with the arboretum stamps from Elusive Images. I've used my favourite tree stamp for this card. I made a background using distress inks, stamped the tree and embossed with silver EP. I then stamped the leaves in lilac, silver and plum shades before embossing them with clear sparkle EP. I also added dots of stickles to the leaves. They look so shimmery but they just look blurry in the pic so you'll need to use your imagination with this one lol.

The sentiment is another favourite from Elusive Images stamped on some more DI background and matted on a scrap of card coloured with glimmer mists (its from my scrap box so I'm not sure of the colours). The edges have been distressed with a craft knife and eggplant versamagic ink. To finish the card off I added some more stickles and a lilac bow

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

Sunday Stamper: Old and New (i've used old stamps and new cd)

Your next stamp challenge: Birthdays

Stamp-n-doodle: Birthdays

Just inspirational : purple with  texture and sparkle. I only just found this challenge thanks to my lovely friend Gina - wow some gorgeous inspiration there.

Pop over to CD Sunday if you have a minute, they have some very exciting news.....

Normally at this time of the week I'm a happy bunny as its Friday but not this week! I've got to work tomorrow too which is a bit of a pest but will also totally confuse me and I'll no doubt spend most of next week on a different day to everyone else lol

Have a good Friday and thanks for looking

Claire xx

Cooking it up with Katie, a fruity recipe this week....

We've got another fun recipe for you over at Cooking it up with Katie, and some exciting news .... we're going to be having a new challenge every week instead of every fortnight!! Katie has some exciting recipes and some fabulous sponsors lined up!! This week we are sponsored by Robyn's Fetish and we were lucky enough to use one of Robyn's fab images, I chose Daisy Days. Our recipe this week is:

• 
  
  Get fruity
• 
  
  Circles, and
• 
  
  Paper Piecing

Here's my card:

Daisy is coloured with promarkers and her dungarees are paper pieced with red gingham paper. I've used some gorgeous papers, frame and sentiment from Raspberry Road designs. The papers are distressed with my craft knife and vintage photo DI. I cut circles out of the left over bps and scrunched them up before layering them up to make some flowers. I also added some paper roses from Wild Orchid Crafts, a little green organza ribbon and a plastic strawberry. I found this little strawberry, it had fallen off an artificial strawberry plant so I chopped it in half with my craft knife and attached it with some silicone glue

I'm also entering Daisy in the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers: Its a girl thing

One stop craft challenge: Patterns (I chose gingham)

Allsorts: Dressing up

The Crafty Pad: Ribbons and flowers

Die cut dreams: Gingham

Just scraps: Paper Patchwork

Incy Wincy: Summer fun

Thanks for popping in, I'm looking forward to seeing what you can cook up with our recipe this week!!

Claire xx

Snowman

I've booked a days leave today, omg its bliss not to have to rush out to work on a Monday morning! I have got some decorating to do though (YUK) but before I start, here's my latest addtion to my ever growing box of Christmas cards

I fancied a bit of messy crafting yesterday an made some bps with my starburst stains - the two on this card are both made with 'Frosted  forget-me-nots'. The lower paper is made by brushing the stain onto copier paper and scrunching it up for a bit of texture. To make the top paper, I stamped some snowflakes on a sheet of copier paper and embossed them with clear EP before brushing on loads of stain. They are so shimmery its hard to get a decent pic.

The little snowman was an image given to me so I don't know the stamp but he's a real cutie, coloured with promarkers and some polar white flowersoft and snowflake glitter on his hat and mittens. I've torn some sheets of white card and added flowersoft and glitter to the edges to make the snowdrifts.

 The lantern embellie, is a glimmer chip, embossed around the edged with icicle tex EP and then painted with some cosmic shimmer powders to add the light effect. Once the paint was dry, I drew some criss cross lines with a black pen and embossed the with clear EP. The sentiment is a stamp from Joanna Sheen, it reads 'Snowmen fall from heaven unassembled'. I've stamped it on a creative acrylic piece with black stazon and then embossed the back with shimmery blue EP and attached it with some blue sparkly ribbon

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Bah Humbug: Paper Tearing

Tuesday Taggers: Christmas in July

I love Promarkers: Christmas in July

Winter Wonderland: No DPs

Stamp something: Christmas in July

Our creative corner: All about Christmas

Thanks for looking, I hope you are having a good Monday morning.

Claire xx

Carnation in May

I've used Ching chou Kuik's 'Carnation of May' for this card, not your traditional carnation colours though lol. I though these mermaids would look good in green and turquoise

The main image is coloured with promarkers with some stickles for highlights, dusted with green ink around the edges, stamped with a HOTP swirl and matted on some black card. I've used a piece of coredinations whitewash card which is cuttlebugged with the swirls folder and sanded to show the green a little, this layer has some black lace and green velvet ribbon around it. The bps are from Crafty Ann and K&Co. The sentiment is from Elusive images and I added  a couple more grungepaper roses (fabby tutorial here on Lynne's blog), glimmer misted with various shades of green and added some lime stickles to bling them up.

I started making this one for this weeks challenge from Sweet pea stampers but was too late (I always do that lol) but I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Paper Jewels: Monochromatic

Donna's Den: Green

Passion 4 Promarkers: Green

Papertake weekly challenge: Sketch

Craftalicious : Make your own flowers

Thanks for looking, I hope you've had a good weekend.

Claire xx

Michelle Perkett Studios Aloha Blog Hop

There's a fun blog hop to thank Michelle Perketts DT for all their inspiration over the last 6 months. I love Michelle's images and enter the challenge whenever I can and believe me, the DT have really come up with some amazing cards and challenges so a huge thank you and 'ALOHA' to them all. If you've arrived here from Jean's blog then you're on the right track, if not pop over to Michelle's blog where the fun begins!! There's also a link to a Hawaaian name translator if you want a bit of fun you can check out your name, mine is Kalala

Michelle has asked us to use her fabulous freebie Leilani to make a creation, she is a real cutie and I've used her to make this card

I've coloured Leilani with promarkers and used a fun summer bingo ticket from Crafts 4 Eternity. The BPs are scraps from a chatterbox kit and the flowers are made using die cut and punched  flowers, glimmer mists and seed beads. I hope you like her! We were also supposed to use the word Aloha (Leilani comes with this lovely sentiment) which means 'Hello, good bye and thankyou' but I totally forgot and decided to cut her out and threw it in the bin! So apols and a big

ALOHA

to all the DT from me!!

Your next stop on the blog hop is Lynne's blog so hop on over and see Lynne's fabulous creation!

I'm entering Leilani in the following challenges:

Colour Create: Hot pink, warm orange and saffron

C.R.A.F.T: hot and spicy colours

Craftalicious: Make your own flowers

Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Summer Days

Thanks for looking and have fun with Michelle's blog hop

Kalala (bit of a mouthful that one lol)

XX

Paper Roses

This week Frankie's challenge at Dragon's Dream Tag it On is ' Paper Roses', Frankie has found an amazing tutorial for grungepaper roses at Lynne Forsythe's blog and her challenge is to have a go. I had a bit of a serendipity moment with this challenge as postie delivered Glenda's fab new CD 'Essence of Nature' which has the most gorgeous papers AND some fab artistic elements including some  tags. I've based this tag on one of the tags from the cd, its so beautiful it seemed a shame to cover any of it up really lol

I stuck the printed tag onto a large tag from Graphicus (perfect size!), edged it with silver EP  and then stamped my favourite tree (Glade from Elusive images) to the side of the tag and embossed with silver EP, also stamped one of the leaf stamps in brilliance pealescent lilac and white and embossed with sparkly EP (Glenda used this technique on her blog and it looks fab). I also added some lilac and icicle stickles. I stamped the sentiment under the tree and some hearts down the side ( both from Elusive images 'Lace rose heart')

I followed the tutorial from Lynnes blog to make the roses and used glimmer mists and starburst stains to colour them and added some more stickles. Now my roses are nowhere near as neat as Lynne's or Frankie's, but I sweated blood making these lol. Everytime I got one finished and glued, it sprang apart and trying to get a little strip of grungepaper covered in glossy accents back in to shape is no mean feat I can tell you. I loved making them though, and will persevere until I get them right, honest!! To finish off the tag, I added some lace leaves and to make a loop for the tag.

If you've got Glenda' s new cd. pop over to her blog as she has a little competition running to win a Graphicus voucher!

Have a good weekend and thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Crafty Ann's Challenge #20 'Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer'

Hi everyone, its time for another Challenge from Crafty Ann's Challenge blog and this time around we have a theme of 'Lazy Hazy Days of Summer'. I've chosen a theme of butterflies for my DTcard, I love to sit in the garden on a lazy summer day and watch the butterflies, they are so beautiful.

I've used one of Ann's beautiful Funky collection bps and her 'hands' digi - such a great image as you can use it with so many other stamps etc (you can check them out at Ann's store here). I've stamped around the edge of the BP with a HOTP swirl and brilliance pearlescent olive ink. I cut the image in a circle and coloured it with promarkers before dusting brilliance lilac ink around and stamping with the same swirl. The butterfly stamps are from Elusive Images, stamped on to acetate and embossed with gold EP. i glittered the backs, cut them out and attached them with silicone glue for some dimension. To finish off I added some gold fb gems and stamped the sentiment (again from Elusive images) in pearlescent olive ink.

I'm  entering this card in the following challenges:

Digital Tuesday: Dazzle me

Flutter by Wednesday: An open challenge

Thanks for looking, I hope you are going to join us at Crafty Ann's this time around, don't forget the winner gets some lovely goodies from Ann's digishop and there's a top 3 too :-)

Claire xx

A little heads up for CSSC....

There's a new challenge over at Cowgirls Sunday Stampen Challenge on Sunday and to celebrate a whole load of fab new 'Animals and Bugs' images at CJs shop (with 25% off!!) the theme is ..... guess what? Yes, Animals and Bugs. I've used CJs image 'Bee home', how cute is this little fella?

The image is coloured with promarkers and matted on some black card, I made a little bee using seed beads and wire as an embellishement. I've used bp from my stash, distressed with my craft knife and lots of black soot DI. I used lemon and black velvet ribbon to make the stripes - bees are so fluffy I though the velvet would be great for this. The flowers are made using small punched flowers and some cheapie diecut flowers I got from the pound shop, they were coloured with Daffodil glimmer mist and scrunched up. Once they were dry, I've layered them up, secured them with a little brad and then added some black seed beads to the centres using silicone glue. I've written the sentiment with a black promarker, my friend has a little girl called Honey so I may use this for her birthday lol.

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

Allsorts: Card for a baby/child

Sentimental Sundays: Its all fun and games

Crafty Cardmakers:Recipe - stickers/punches, orange/yellow, animals/fish (I hope my little bees count)

Sketch Saturday: Sketch

Paperplay: Anything goes

Don't forget to check out the new challenge on CSSC this Sunday, we have a fab sponsor - the lucky winner will get 5 images from Whimsy Stamps and the winners badge and the top 3 will get to choose one of CJs images and also be able to display the Top 3 badge on their blogs too!!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire xx

On the beach

This card is made for a Round Robin I'm taking part in, I know its been received now so its safe to blog lol. Its the first round robin I've taken part in and I think its a great idea. In fact until recently i didn't know what  a stamping round robin was. For any other novices, you make a card using  and send the card and stamp on to the next person on the list etc etc until it gets back to the person who started it off. We're using a stamp by Pink Cat Studio, isn't it fab - just perfect for summer cards.

I've stamped the image on to silk card and then masked it before brayering the sky, sea and beach using kaeidacolour ink pads.I then coloured the image with promarkers and added some highlights to the sun and beach - promarkers are so different to use on silk card. The image is matted on some blue card. The Elusive images sentiment is stamped on a scrap of card brayered with the same colours. Sorry the pic is a bit wonky, I need to get some batteries for my camera so I've had to scan it and my scanner is very temperamental.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Creations: Summer Lovin

Crafty Catz: Summer time

Bee Crafty: at the Beach

Alys Sunday Challenge: Under or by the sea

Gingersnap Creations GC63: Sunshine

Just looking at this card makes me wish I was sat on the beach, the weather here is so temperamental lately and work is so busy it would be bliss to escape. Thanks for looking, I hope this card brings you a little sunshine too

Claire xx