Fabby Candy at the Prairie Fairy!

Check out this amazing candy at the Prairie Fairy, Roberta is offering this gorgeous bundle of goodies for helping spread the word that she has moved back to blogger so pop over and check it out!!

Claire xx

Fun at Fairy Knoll, let's see some GLITTER!!

Hi there, its time for another fab challenge at Fun at Fairy Knoll and this week we want to see some glitter on your creations!! I love working with glitter and thought this gorgeous image from the lovely Brandi at Fairy Knoll (she's called Dancing Glamour) deserved plenty of bling!!

I coloured the image with promarkers and added lots of glitter to her skirt. I used Chantilly lace around the edges and used the glue quite thickly so it would stand out and then added some Nirvana Art instutue glitter  inbetween.

The bps are all from the GCD Ella Blue bp pad, I distressed the edges with a craft knife and added some brown ribbon  and blue roses to finish the card off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crazy Challenge: On the go (does dancing count??)

OSAAT: Celebrate in  style

I did it creations: Surprise me

Whoopsi Daisy: Lets get girly

I hope you're going to get glittery with us this week, as usual the lucky winner will receive a digi stamp from Fairy Knoll!! You don't have to use a Fairy Knoll image to take part but we'd love it if you did!! If you don't have one you can pick one up here

Claire xx

A new challenge at Crafty Ann's

We've got a fab challenge for you this time at Crafty Ann's, you can take your inspiration from Ann's fantastic sketch, use a Christmas theme or combine the two. I've used the sketch and made a Christmas card using Ann's gorgeous poinsettia faberge egg digistamp and tartan and poinsettia backing papers (you can find them all in Crafty Ann's shop here

I've matted and layered the bps on some gold mirri card and made a gold mirri frame for the focal image. I printed the poinsettia egg out onto acetate and they stuck some double sided adhesive film on the back so I could add lots of Judikins prisma glitter to the back of the image. I used 3d foam tape to attach the image to the card to let the glitter really sparkle. To finish off I added some paper flowers and one of Ann's fab Christmas ticket sentiments.

Here's a pic of the faberge egg, its such a beautiful image and I love the effect of the glitter, hope you like it too

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas: Y is for Yuletide (+ red and green)

Thanks for visiting today. I love Fridays, not long till the weekend. I should think about doing some Christmas shopping really but it will have to wait till the weather improves a little

love and hugs

Claire xx

Bah Humbug. Feeling Blue and some snowy pics

Hi there its the last challenge of the year from those lovely ladies at Bah Humbug, the theme is 'Feeling Blue' and I do , feel blue that is. Blue with cold in this freezing weather but also blue as we won't be Bah Humbugging again until next year, although it won't be long will it. I would be feeling smug about all the cards I've made BUT aaaaarrggghhhh I haven't done any of the inserts yet.

As you know I'm not the worlds best photographer so I've tried scanning this as I've used loads of glimmer mists etc on this card but its not a deal better than with the camera but never mind.

The stamps are all from Elusive images, the snowy house scene is stamped and embossed with blue EP, painted with stormy skies DI and liberally glittered. The royal blue blackground uses a resist technique and lots of midnight blue cosmic shimmer spray and silver firework ink. I made the other background using the same stamp, embossed in blue and then distressed with stormy skies DT again. The sentiment is from Paula P, its not showing up very well as I stamped it and then triple embossed but added some holographic sparkle EP to the final layer, its lovely and shimmery IRL though honest lol. The icicles are made with glitter and my favourite Marianne icicle die

I've had my first day being snowed in today, I don't think we've had this much snow since I was at school (back in the olden days lol). Here's a pic of my back garden this morning and we've had more snow today

The snow is literally knee deep and more is forecast tonight. Apologies to everyone fed up of the snow, we had a fair bit of snow but not enought to stop me going to work although the journey was a nightmare so I was doing a snow dance all day yesterday  - looks like it worked lol. The dogs LOVE it and have been sooooo excited today, here's a pic of them playing in the garden

 

Anyway back to my card, I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts: Monochromatic

Stamp it Crazy: anything goes + holiday theme

Ooh La La: Christmas Song (Blue christmas)

Order of the Opus Gluei: Getting Frosted

Totally Stampalicious: Anythig goes

City Crafter: Blue Christmas

The Stampsmith challenge: Tis the Holiday Season

thanks for visiting today, I bet you're ready for a cup of something after wading through this long post. Keep warm if you can, this is great crafting weather :-)

Claire xx

Wow, what a fab award from the lovely Suzanne :-)

I've received this amazing award from my dear friend Suzanne, pop over and have a look at the gorgeous creations on her blog if you have a minute - she is one talented lady :-)

Its such a thrill to receive this stylish blogger award, especially as I don't look very stylish myself today - i've just been out with the dogs in my waterproof coat and bright pink wellies lol. When you receive this award you have to:

1. Thank the person who awarded you

2. Tell 8 things about yourself

3. pass this award on to 8 bloggers you've recently discovered

4. Contact them and tell them about their award.

Right then 8 things about me, i can hear the skeletons rattling in the cupboard lol

1. Although i work in mental health I'm a trained nurse and also a life coach

2. I'm totally useless at driving, my driving instructor said I was the only person he'd ever met who could drive better backwards than they could forwards lol

3. I'm afraid of spiders but hate them to be killed so hubby has to capture them alive and remove them to the garden

4. I hate shopping (unless its for craft stuff lol)

5. I once played a Christmas tree in a school play (so much for my acting talents!!)

6. I can't sing

7. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan

8. I'm snowed in and can't go to work :-) woooo hoooo!!

I'm passing this award on to the following talented ladies, as always its so hard to choose as I get so much inspiration from so many talented friends in blogland but here we go

Ruby

Kerri

Lee

Cathy

Joanna

Marion

Audrey

Doreen

Claire xx

A new challenge at Michelle Perkett Studios!!

Its Tuesday again so that means a brand new challenge over at Michelle Perkett Studios!! This week we have a fabulous theme - 'Make Your Own Background'. I love all things inky so I had loads of fun making this card which features the beautiful 'Guinevere' available from Michelle's Etsy Store

Guinevere is coloured with promarkers and has some red stickles added for a little extra bling. I've distressed the edges and layer her on some red card. I've used a black base card and then added the background I made using cosmic shimmer sprays and glimmer mists.

I love these kind of backgrounds as they are so easy to make and looks so beautiful and shimmery. I sprayed lava red and black gold sprays on some plain white card and then rubbed them together with a plastic bag to blend them .Don't use your fingers or you'll look like you've been killing a pig lol - I know cos i've done it :-)

I dried the background with a heatgun and then stamped a HOTP swirl stamp around the edges and embossed with Firecracker red DP. I added some red/black wired ribbon from my stash and made a couple of twisted ribbon flowers to finish the card off, I wanted to keep the layout pretty simple as I didn't want to cover the background lol.

 I'm really pleased with the flowers, if you want to have a go i've used the same method as Lynne uses to make her famous grungepaper roses here. I've loved making these roses over the last few months  and thought I'd have a play with some ribbon too.

I'm entering Guinevere in the following challenges:

Fab'n'Funky: go with the flow

Charisma Cardz: One for the girls

Cute Card thursday: Blast from the Past (I've used the no designer papers challenge from 27/5)

For Fun challenge: Anything Goes

Tanda Teaser: Ladies only

Paper Pretties: Clean and Simple

Craft Your Passion: Monochrome

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you can join our challenge this week, if you don't have any of Michelle's gorgeous images yet you can pick up a freebie over at Michelle's group on SNR, PCP or CDAC

Claire xx

Sweet pea stampers sketch

Hi, wow the weather is awful here, we've had loads more snow so I've been stuck in the house doing lots of crafting!! This is a card I made last week but didn't get chance to post it. I've used a gorgeous sweet pea stamp by Ching Chou Kuik and followed the sketch at Sweet Pea Stampers

I made the background using Midnight blue and meadow lush cosmic shimmer sprays - sprayed loads on to plain white card and then laid cling film on while it dried to give a beautiful cracked ice effect. The image is stamped on pearlescent card and coloured with promarkers. i've layered everything up on blue mirri card and added some ribbon from my stash. The paper flowers are from Jazzlins designs.

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

Gingerloft challenge: bows

Stampin with the Dragon: Fantasy

Delightful challenges: Flower Power

Top Tip Tuesday: Layer on Layer

Passion for Promarkers: Old and new (the stamp is fairly old, the cosmic shimmer sprays are new and the ribbon and mirri card have been in my stash for years)

Thanks for calling by today, I hope you are keeping warm and cosy. Before i go, here's a pic i took from the back door about 10 minutes ago

Blizzard or what?? If it carries on like this I don't think I'll be able to get to work tomorrow :-(

LOL

Claire xx

Holly, the Christmas Friendship Fairy

Hello from a very snowy corner of the UK, I thought we were going to escape the snow but it started snowing last night and we've got loads now!! I'm a big kid at heart so I love it although I won't be so happy on Monday when I have to get to work lol. Anyway today's card features the beautiful 'Holly, The Christmas Friendship fairy' from Michelle Perkett (hurry over to Michelle's store as not only is Holly on sale this week but Michelle has a fantastic 50% off sale over the weekend!!)

Holly is coloured with promarkers, she has a little flowersoft and prisma glitter on the fur trim around her dress. The background is made using a versamark resist technique - the elusive images snowflakes were stamped with versamark and then brayerd over with Waterfall big'n'juicy ink pad. The snowy hill is just glitter card torn to shape and then I added glitter to edge. I've used a Marianne die for the icicle border and Marianne flower dies to make the flowers (using the copier paper I'd used to get the excess ink from my brayer) and swirls. The beautiful blingy centres are from my friend Linda at Jazzlins Designs.

The sentiment is a stamp from Elusive images, stamped on vellum and then made into a little scroll using inked cocktail sticks.

I'm entering Holly in the following challenges:

Die cut Dreams Christmas Club: use a die cut (icicle border, flowers and swirls)

Papercutz: Anything goes

Totally Papercrafts: Untraditional Christmas

2 Sisters challenge: Non traditional Christmas

Creative Cottage: Untraditional Christmas

Simon Says: Let it snow

I love promarkers: Anything goes + sparkle

Crafty Sentiments: Christmas

Pixie Cottage: Sketch and/or Let it Snow (I've rotated the sketch)

Crafts and Me: Dreaming of a White Christmas (snowflakes)

Thanks for visiting today, hope you are warm and cosy. This cold weather is perfect for crafting so I've got my meltpot bubbling away to have a go at making some beads before settling down to watch the TV.

Don't forget you still have time to enter this weeks 'Happy Holidays'  challenge over at Michelle Perkett Studios, if you don't have any of Michelle's images you can pick up some gorgeous freebies over at Michelle's groups at PCP, SNR and CDAC.

Claire xx

Fun at Fairy Knoll, Family challenge

Its Friday so its time for a new challenge from Fun at Fairy Knoll and this week our theme is 'Family', i've made a card for my sister using this supercute little elf from Fairy Knoll

I've used bp from Dovecraft and pale blue glitter gard  punched with an EK success punch as a border. The main image is coloured with promarkers. the sky is chalked although it doesn't show up too well in the pic. Lots of crushed glass glitter for the snow and some die cut snowflakes which have again been glittered. The sentiment is stamped 3 times. directly on to the bp using pale blue brillaince ink.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Incy Wincy: blue and white

Spoon full of Sugar: anything goes

Scrapbook Sisters: Let it snow

Fresh Brewed: winter/Christmas

Stampin B's DT: Holiday Card

Thanks for visiting, I'm sooooo pleased its Friday. Work has been manic all week so I'm really glad the weekend is here. We seem to have missed all the snow so far but its so cold and  icy. I think its perfect weather for staying at home and crafting this weekend although I suppose I need to think about doing some Christmas shopping at some point lol

Claire xx

Let it snow

Hi, here's a card made with one of Michelle Perkett's new images 'Snow Family Singing'. Michelle has launched some new images featuring the snow family and they are adorable! You can find them in Michelle's store here. I've made a shaker card, I haven't made one of these for ages but I love making them and thought that it would be a fun card for my son.

Its an 8x8 card and the background is made by stamping a large snowflake stamp from Elusive images on white card, embossing with clear EP and then spraying with loads of cosmic shimmer mist in midnight blue and silver firework ink. I coloured the image with promarkers, painted the background with some more midnight blue shimmer spray and then cut a frame from white glitter card which I backed with acetate. I used silver and clear sparkly stars for the shaker element and attached the frame with shaker tape. I added some snowflakes and a couple of icicle borders, generously coated with crushed glass glitter. Here's a pic to try and show a little of the detail

 I added blue ribbon and clear gems to finish the card off

Jan and her team of talented mermaids at Michelle Perkett Studio's have a fab challenge this week, the theme is 'Happy Holidays' .I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Digital Tuesday: Let it Snow

One stitch at a time: Choose a season/event (Christmas for me!!)

Pollycraft: Feeling blue

Scrap it with a song: Winter Wonderland

Lollipop challenge: Christmas

Cards for men: Christmas

One stop craft challenge: Snow people

2 Sisters: Snowflakes

Paperplay: Let it snow

Papercutz: Lots of bling and Christmas

Delightful challenges: Baby its cold outside

Thanks for visiting today

Claire xx

Katie's recipe this week...

Good morning, brrrr its really cold here at the minute and we're told that the first snow is on its way - perfect weather for thinking about Christmas (and for staying in and crafting lol) so I've made a Christmas decoration for this weeks challenge from Cooking it up with Kate. Our recipe this week is :

Paint, Angelic/holidays/rhinestones

and we are sponsored by Pixie Dust who have some gorgeous images! I've used 'Sugarplum Fairy' and although she's not just for Christmas I thought she'd look great for a christmas decoration

I've used a bell shaped decor plate from Caroline's Rubber stamps. I love these decor plates, and the big ones are a great size for making Christmas decorations. I've painted the bell with acrylic paints and then sprayed with pearl glimmer mists for lots of sparkle. More sparkle with the snowflakes which are embossed with enchanted gold EP and have little blue rhinestones in the centres. The creamy/beige papers are from my stash, stamped with the same snowflakes and embossed this time in pale blue and then I distressed the edges with vintage photo distress ink.

Sugarplum fairy is coloured with promarkers and she has clear microbeads on her underskirt, to look like layers of net. She's cut out and layered up on a couple of shapes made with MS topiary punch.

I'm entering my Sugarplum Fairy in the following challenges

Colour Create: Robin's Egg, Seafoam green, cream

Paper Romance: Favourite things (ooh lots of them here, decorplates paint, embossing and of course promarkers and I love Christmas decorations)

Winter Wonderland: Make a decoration

Ai Factory: Bring on the Bling

Tuesday Taggers: Make a decoration

Papertake challenge: cut it out

Passion for Promarkers: Old and new (new image and decorplate, old paint and embossing powder from when I first started crafting)

Thanks for visiting today. As usual I'm counting down to the weekend (or a lottery win lol) so I can have some time off work. Hope you're having a good week and get some time to join our challenge this week

Claire xx

Blog hop winner!!

Woo hoo, congratulations Sammibug hunny, I  just picked your name out of the hat to win my prize from the Fairy Knoll blog hop!! You can pick a digi of your choice from Fairy Knoll, just email Brandi at 
fairyknoll(at)rocketmail(dot)com  to claim your prize!!

Claire xx

Lizzie with Licorice

Hi, its a really wet and miserable day here today and of course Monday is never my favourite day of the week lol. I wanted to share this card I made over the weekend using a Whiff of Joy stamp 'Lizzie with Licorice' that I got from Jazzlins Designs.

I really had loads of messy fun making this card, I decided to use the sketch from the latest Whiff of Joy Challenge and a monochomatic colour scheme for a change. I thought Lizzie would look great in these sepia tones as she has such a cute vintage look.

I made the bp by using vintage photo DI and cosmic shimmer bronze blush spray ink on plain white card. It has a lovely shimmer but the camera hasn't picked it up. Once it was dry I stamped Paula Pascual snowflakes and embossed with Antique linen distress EP. I coloured the doiley and lace with antique linen and vintage photo distress inks.

The image is painted with vintage photo distress ink and the snowflakes stamped are stamped and embossed with vintage photo DI and antique linen EP. I made the snowflakes using the scraps of leftover card and Marianne snowflake dies, they are glittered with clear holographic glitter and the centres are clear gems coloured with alcohol ink. To finish off I added some coffee coloured grosgrain ribbon and a little candy cane charm (peeping from under the snowflakes)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Everybody art challenge: Monochromatic brown

Stampavie and more : Monochromatic

Whiff of Joy: sketch

Simon Says: Sparkle

FRosted Designs: Distressing

Fussy and Fancy: Christmas but no red/green

Totally Gorjuss: Christmas, not traditional colours

Crafty Emma's Challenges:  Lovely Lace

Allsorts: Lace, ribbon, Charm

Thanks for calling by, better get back to work now I  suppose ;-)

Claire xx

Lovely in Lilac

Hi, my weekend seems to be going far too quickly. It'll be Monday morning before I know it but I've managed to make another couple of Christmas cards. This one is for the 'Lovely in Lilac' challenge at Bah Humbug

I had to use this gorgeous purple and gold card from Hunky Dory for this card and thought it would be a great background for some baubles made with Paula Pascaul stamps. I've just got these from the lovely Linda at Jazzlins Designs and they are FAB! I think they are going to be used again and again.

I've stamped a variety of the stamps to make the baubles, they are all embossed with gold EP and inked with Dusty Concorde DT. I just added some scraps of gold ribbon to make them into baubles for a really quick card.

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

Delicious Doodles: Anything goes

Daring Cardmakers: We three... baubles (lol)

Crazy 4 Challenges: Add circles

Southern Girls: Favourite Colour

Thanks for visiting. I'm going to have a lazy Sunday afternoon with a piece of homemade Rocky Road and my feet up in front of the TV

Claire xx

Woofie's first Christmas

Hi, Woofie is back with another Christmas card, this time he's waiting to open all his presents! Woofie is one of a series of new images from Michelle Perkett, Michelle is really on a roll at the minute and has some amazing new images in her Etsy Shop, including Woofie and a supercute snowfamily.

I think this image is gorgeous, there's so much detail I decided to keep the card pretty simple. I coloured the image with promarkers, added some stickles to the baubles, a little white flowersoft  to Woofies hat and matted the image on some red card. The sentiment comes with the image, i used that for the base of the easel card, again matted on some red card and added some little buttons in the corners. I added a red organza bow to finish off.

I'm entering Woofie in the following challenges:

Fairy Fun Friday: buttons and bows

Die cut dreams Chistmas: anything Christmas

Hodge Podge Shop: anything goes

Top Tip Tuesday: buttons

Tuesday Throwdown: buttons and bows

Thanks for visiting today. Don't forget you still have time to join in our challenge at Michelle Perkett Studios this week, where our theme is 'Lets be thankful'

Claire xx