Peacock queen

I've made this card for the 2nd challenge from Wendy and the team at CD Sunday Challenge blog which is 'Artistic Oriental'

I've used bp from Artylicious 'Peacock Summer Party cd' which is printed on vellum and matted on some gold textured card for the background. The image is from one of the Elusive images peacock themeplates, stamped on acetate with stazon and glittered on the reverse. I've coloured her skin with a permapaque marker. The image is matted on some more gold card with eyelets. The sentiment is a tag from the same cd also printed on to vellum with the sentiment stamped and embossed in gold and gold edges. The flowers are made using more stamps from Elusive images which were stamped and embossed in gold on to paper from the same Cd. I curled the petals and added a blob of silicone to the smaller one which I covered with microbeads and glitter. I'd run out of bottlecaps for the centre of the large flower, or I thought I had but a quick visit to my sons bedroom provided me with lots of bottlecaps lol. I flattened one in my cuttlebug, and filled the centre with more microbeads and glitter.

Also for the following challenges:

Gingersnaps spicy supply challenge GC50: Found objects

Sketch and Stash: A fab sketch again this week,  I've turned the image round to make a diamond shape and used a tag and flower instead of ribbon

One stop craft challenge: Metallic

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Spring Thank You Card

This card is for Crafty Ann's challenge which is a recipe - one digi, 3 colours, 3 flowers and a ribbon. I've used one digi sweet pea flower in 3 different colours for this challenge (maybe cheating a little as i've added a touch of green too)

I am still using stuff up as my printer is inkless atm and these lovely sweet pea images are freebies from  BirdsCards. They are coloured with promarkers, matted onto some pastel green card and mounted on the card with 3d foam tape. The foiled sentiment is from Elusive images matted on some of the same card with a little green ribbon added.

This card is also for the following challenges:

The ABC Challenge: T is for Thank you

Paperplay: Pretty Pastels

I love Digi: A Thank you card

Fab'n'Funky: No DPs

Gingersnaps GC51 Random Redhead Challenge: Botanical

I've got a long weekend off work now and hope to get lots of crafting done, dicky back permitting anyway lol. I love this time of year with all the bank holidays. Its a lovely morning here although the weather forecast isn't too good. I hope you have some sunshine for the bank holiday. Thanks for looking

Claire xx

April Showers

I'm cutting it fine for Cynthia's 'April Showers' challenge over at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog this week. I've had one of those weeks where everything I make ends up in the bin so I've kept this card very simple

The image is from Wink Wink Ink, coloured with promarkers and some glossy accents on the puddle but you can't really see them in the scan. I've followed this weeks sketch from 'Sketch Saturday'. The image is matted on to some green card and I've used some yellow cuttlebugged card for the background and some little coloured brads. I'm also entering this card in this weeks challenge from Sophisticat which is to make a card for a child.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

I didn't do it....

Is one of my favourite digis from Karen's Doodles and I thought this naughty little pup was perfect for the 'Monochromatic' challenge this week on Karen's Doodles UK Challenge Blog

The image is coloured with promarkers, some glossy accents on his eyes and nose and then distressed with some brown ink before matting onto some brown crocodile skin paper from my stash. For the background I've used some cream card stamped with flourishes (well birds tails from Elusive images) and again distressed with brown ink. The crackled brown background is made using a layer of cream acrylic paint, a layer of homebase crackle paint that I found in the shed and a layer of brown acylic paint.

I'm also entering this card for the following challenges

Cards for Men: Monochrome

Crafty Creations: distressing

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge: Distressing

Tuesday Taggers: Memories. This image reminds me of one of my dogs - Benji is a honey coloured german shepherd and when he was a puppy he managed to chew through a duvet and I came in to find the hall, stairs, landing and bedroom covered in white feathers. You wouldn't believe how  many feathers are in one duvet lol. This image always makes me smile as I can't see it without remembering that day.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Undersea Garden

I love this mermaid image from Michelle Perkett, it makes me think of a mermaid in her undersea garden (I seem to remember a song by the Beatles about an octopuses garden and keep humming it to myself lol). Anyway Michelles challenge at the Michelle Perkett Studio  Inspiration and Design challenge Blog is to make an easel card using a gorgoeus colour palette of pale blue, turquoise, celery and olive  - I love these colours and they seemed perfect for an undersea theme so here is my card

I've coloured the image with promarkers and added lots of glitter glue to the mermaids tail, hair, plants and the cute little seahorse. I've used celery green card and some K&Co backing paper. To embellish the card I've sprayed some cotton lace with turquoise and green glimmer mists and added some aqua velvet ribbon. I've punched some flowers out of the left over paper, distressed them with shabby shutters DI and added some tiny shells for their centres. I've used one to decorate the card (with a scrap of gm'ed lace as a leaf) and the second to hold the 'easel' up.

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

Quixotic challenge : Make a Splash

Fab'n'Funky challenge: Get it all out (use those crafty treasures we've all been hoarding - mine is the bp which is from a box of K&Co paper I've had for about 2 years)

The Pink Elephant: A colour challenge this week - aqua

Passion for Promarkers: In the garden

Thanks for looking,

Claire xx

Pretty in Pink

This week the team at Bah Humbug are challenging us to make a 'PINKY-LICIOUS CHRISTMAS PROJECT!". It took a while to get my head round this one as I don't think I've ever made a pink christmas card but here is my card

Tilda is coloured with promarkers and a clear stardust pen, the edges are distressed with grey ink. The pink background is make using Tim Holtz snowflake stamps on white glossy card, embossed with sparkle EP and then inked with pink dye ink. I added some clear gems. The black background is black matt card cuttlebugged using the christmas words embossing folder and sprayed with a snow angel glimmer mist. The snowflakes are made of glitter card, coloured with dye ink (a bit of an experiment but it seems to have worked out ok) and cut on my cricut. They are layered up with a gem in the centre.

My 'pinkylicious card' is also for the following challenges:

Susie and Vikki's Christmas Club: Joy, Peace, Noel

Winter Wonderland: Anything goes for Christmas

ABC Christmas Challenge: I is for Ice

Paperplay Challenge: No patterned paper

I love promarkers: Black, White + one other colour

Fab's Big Christmas Challenge: Snowflakes and Embossing

Thanks for looking,

Claire xx

Michelle Perkett Studios Earth Day Blog Hop

Good morning everyone, there's an Earth Day blog hop today starting at Michelle Perkett Studio  and hopefully you will have arrived here from Pattie's blog (isn't her creation gorgeous??). Michelle has challenged us to create a recycled project for Earth Day, I love this sort of challenge and I've made a Christmas decoration using a recycled cd and Michelle's gorgeous digistamp 'Sweetie'.

I covered the cd with thick white card as a base. I've made bp from copier paper heading for the bin - stamped snowflakes with icicle tex EP and then sprayed with lots of glimmer mists in shades of blue and the oversprayed with firework inks in pink and green (part of the challenge is to include green). I cut circles for the back and front on  my cricut, stuck them on the cd and then added glitter around the edge. Sweetie is coloured with promarkers and has lots of glitter too. I punched holes in the cd with my cropodile (huge sigh of relief when it didn't crack lol) and then strung some old beads (I get loads of jewellery from charity shops and recycle  the beads) on to some clear fishing wire (? I dont think thats the proper name but it was in the shed just waiting to be recycled lol) and suspended Sweetie from the wire. I added another thread of beads with a crystal dangle (again from my recycled beads) at the bottom.  A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get a load of jewellery findings from a scrap store locally. Its a FAB shop and sells off stuff that businesses are throwing away to local crafters and charities. Anyway I used 2 earring bases, took the clips off the back, filled them with silicone glue and some glitter and used them to cover up the holes in the cd 

I've tried to get a pic of Sweetie hanging up but the combination of my dreadful photography skills and the fact that she was moving round all the time made it very difficult ... my son was in stitches watching me trying to take this photo

Thanks for looking, your next stop is Mary's fabulous blog on your way to Michelle Perkett Challenge and Inspiration blog where you can vote for your favourite recycled project

Claire xx

Glenda's blog treats

Elusive images have some gorgeous new stamps and Glenda is giving some away on her blog.
Here is  a pic of 'Glorious Spring' but all the new stamps are stunning ... my wish lists gets longer and longer

The other new stamps are- Royal fleur de lys, Journal today and a beautiful themeplate for sympathy cards. Sympathy cards are always difficult to make but these are so elegant and the sentiments are perfect.

Claire xx

Rosie Door Hanger

Michelle Perkett is celebrating reaching 300 followers over at her Papercraft Planet Group and as part of the celebrations, Lynne has posted a fab Door Hanger Tutorial and set a challenge to create a door hanger using one of Michelle gorgeous digistamps. You can enter the challenge on Lynne's blog here, well worth a look as her work is just gorgeous. I loved the hanger Lynne made and she kindly shared a template so that I could make one and here it is

I've coloured Rosie with promarkers and highlighted her wings and the flowers in her hair with some prisma glitter. I used some thick greyboard from the back of a card pack to make the hanger (a nightmare to cut lol) and covered both sides with floral paper from a chatterbox scrapbook kit. I made some 3d flowers using flowers cut with my cricut and added green beads for the centres and some glittery highlights. The hanger is edged with pink ink to hide the edges.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

CD Sunday

CD Sunday is a new challenge blog with a fantastic DT, their first challenge is 'Wings and Things'.  I think its a fab idea to have a challenge using craft cds - I've got so many gathering dust in my craft room its a great opportunity to make use of them. Unfortunately my printer is out of ink (talk about great timing lol) but like most of us, I've got loads of stuff printed out and not used so until I get my CISS I'll be using up lots of left overs.

Here is my entry, using a gorgeous BP from Artylicious 'Decadent Delights' cd

The paper is matted on to some gold silk mirri card. I've stamped the huge butterfly from Elusive Images 'Patchwork Butterfly' themeplate on to acetate and embossed it with Halo gold EP before painting with Tinkabella Inks. I love Tinkabella inks on acetate - they are translucent so give a gorgeous 'stained glass' effect, I've tried to pick it up in the photo by as you know I am not the worlds best photographer lol. I've used a foiled sentiment, coloured with teal tinkabella ink and matted on to more gold silk mirri card. The sentiment is also from Graphicus, it doesn't show up to well on the pic but it reads:

"Take time to be friendly,

it is the road to happiness. Take time to dream,

it is hitching your wagon to a star.

Take time to love and to

be loved, it is the priviege of the gods.

Take time to look

around, it is too short a day to be selfish.

Take time to laugh, it is the

music of the soul.

(Old English Prayer)

To finish off, I've used 2 floradoodles coloured with teal ink again, for the centres I've used a blob of silicone glue covered with gold microbeads and then added some fb pearls coloured with stream alcohol ink in the corners.

This card is also for the following challenges:

Sunday Stamper: Free as a bird

Creatilicious Challenge: Flowers and wings

My time to craft: Quick quotes

Sentimental Sundays: Blooming Gorgeous (another new challenge, Ann has some fabulous digi sentiments)

Allsorts challenge: a photo inspiration challenge this week with a photo of a gorgeous butterfly bracelet.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Under the moon's shadow

What a fab challenge from Elizabeth who is Guest designer at Dragon's Dream Tag it On. I've really struggled to get the effect I wanted for this tag - you know what its like when you get an idea but really struggle to transfer it to paper lol. 3 attempts in the bin and I'm still not totally happy with the finished product but here it is

The main image is a stamp from Non Sequitur which I havent used for years, stamped and then masked to create the background using my brayer and Big & Juicy ink (Hydrangea and Mountain Meadow). Instead of masking the moon, I cut it out and embossed it with clear sparkle EP. I also stamped around the edges of the tag with a Tim Holtz background stamp and silver brilliance (again embossed with sparkle EP). The trees are Elusive Images stamps and the rocks in the foreground from Non Sequitur, again they are highlighted with a little sparkle. I wanted the lady to look like she's just come out of the water and is catching the moonlight so I've coloured her with stardust pens and a water brush and then used a versamark pen and sparkle EP for highlights which don't show up too well. The image is matted on to some black card and the tag is finished off with a couple of silver eyelets and some black ribbon.

This tag is also for Cynthia's challenge at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog which is 'Trees' and also for Fab'n'Funky Challenge which is to use a neglected stamp

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Blue Rosie

I've made this card for this weeks challenge from Michelle Perkett Design Studio Challenge, where the challenge is movement + Spring  but I was too late lol. I've used pale blue and green (lots of those colours in the garden at the minute) and to add some movement I've made a beaded tassel to embellish the card. Unfortunately its soooooo  dark and miserable today (where on earth has Spring gone??)  I can't get a decent photo so I've had to scan it so apols for the rubbish pic.

Rosie is coloured with promarkers and then I added some highlights with a clear sakura startdust pen. Its a gatefold card for a change and Rosie is matted on to blue pearl card and mounted onto a smaller card which ties shut with blue organza bow. The BP is from my stash and the tassel is made with pale blue bugle beads and silver seed beads and is attached with a pale blue gem brad.

I'm also entering Rosie into the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers: Getting in a flap

Allsorts Challenge: In Stitches (the tassel is made using bead stitching technique)

Totally Papercrafts: Spring

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Cupcake anyone?

I've never really 'got' the cupcake craze, well not until I saw this lovely digi from Hope Jacare a couple of weeks ago. Its so pretty and perfect for this weeks challenge at Tuesday Taggers which is cake and/or balloons for Emma's birthday (Happy Birthday Emma). The card is actually a thank you card for a friend.

The image is coloured with promarkers and then glittered with judikins Prisma Glitter. The papers are from DCWV and the circles were cut out on my cricut. I wanted to add some more cupcakes to the little circles but my blinking printer is out of ink so I cut out some flowers from the paper and added them with with foam pads. The 'Hi' sentiment is cut out using my cuttlebug

This card is also for the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday: I really loved this weeks sketch

ABC challenge: S is for sparkle (glitter on the cupcakes)

Paper Sundaes:  no people

Just scraps: magazine case (lots of yummy cakes in the magazine with our Sunday paper yesterday)

One Stitch at a Time: Thank you (on the insert as I couldn't fit it on the circle lol)

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Festive Furry Friends

This weeks challenge over at Bah Humbug is to  make a card with some festive furry friends - a real challenge for me as I hardly have any cute little critturs in my stamp collection and my printer is out of ink. Anyway I had a rummage and found these Crafters Companion stamps which hadn't really seen the light of day. I've coloured the mice and lampost with promarkers and added some glitter and white flowersoft then decoupaged them on to a scene that was in my file of printed BPs - it may well be from the Crafters Companion cd that went with the stamps

Its not my usual style of card but I've really enjoyed colouring the images and I've finally made use of that white flowersoft that i really needed when I got it lol.

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

Susie and Vikki's Christmas Club - Very Vintage (I love the Victorian feel of the little outfits)

and Cute Card Thursday - Touchy Feely

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Another sweet pea card

I've made this card for this weeks challenge from Crafts and Me which is to use Brown, Pink and Yellow.

The image is stamped onto pearlescent card and coloured with promarkers, I then added a background with pink and yellow chalks and overstamped with a swirl and added more chalk before edging with sepia versafine. The BP is made using pink shades of glimmer mists and the 'cling film' technique (doesn't show up too well on the pic tho). The BP has been overstamped with Elusive images corner stamps using sepia versafine and embossed with clear EP. The flower is made using another Elusive images stamp, stamped onto a scrap of BP again with sepia and embossed with clear EP. The centre is a bottle cap, flattened in my cuttlebug and coloured with Espresso alcohol ink. The centre of the bottle cap is filled with brown microbeads and a little chantilly lace glitter - its really sparkly in real life.

I'm really enjoying using my new Sweet Pea stamps, the images are gorgeous and they are such good quality - I can't wait to get some more.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges

Quixotic Challenge - Heavy Metal

Flutter by Wednesday - Open Challenge (with a butterfly, angel or fairy)

One stop Craft Challenge - Things with wings

Well I better go and make this weeks Christmas card lol

Thanks for looking

Claire cc

Sweet pea stamps

I've just got some of the gorgeous Sweet Pea stamps from Crafts and Me, they are fab and I'm already counting down til payday so I can get some more lol. Here's my first card using them

The image is coloured with promarkers on pearlescent card, the background to the images is also made with promarkers, they seem to blend really well on this type of card. I've matted the image on some copper mirri silk card and then onto a layer of card coloured with alcohol inks (polished stone technique - great tutorial here at Gingersnaps Creations) and some more copper mirri. The backing paper is made using another technique from Sharon at Gingersnaps - the bubblewrap backgrounds tutorial is here. I stamped the paper with the bubblewrap using green and orange acrylic paint, it was a bit too bright so I oversprayed it with Ancient Copper cosmic shimmer mist and then stamped and embossed flourishes over the top. I stamped the sentiment directly on to the backing paper and added a paper rose from floradoodles which was sprayed with lime and copper cosmic shimmer mists to finish the card off.

This card is for the following challenges:

GCSP3 Gingersnaps blue moon challenge: Take on a tutorial

Creatalicious challenge - wings and flowers

Passion for promarkers - Promarker background

Tanda Teaser - Outside the box

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Ahoy there

Here's my card for my spot as Guest Bar Tender over at Raise the Bar where the theme this week is Movie Mania. I don't watch a lot of films and a couple of weeks ago I did a Harry Potter tag so as I love all the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies I decided to make a pirate themed easel card using Mo Manning pirate digi stamps

The sea and sky are brayered with some waves added with glitter. The next layer is Mo's palm trees coloured with promakers. I made the 'porthole' using Moonshadow Inks (love the piratey names for these - Jolly Roger Red, Bucaneer Bay Blue etc)  and distress inks and added another layer attached with antique effect brads. I then added the images 'Captain Hugh' and 'First mate Kate' who is sat on Mo's barrels (again coloured with promarkers). The front of the easel card is also coloured with moonshadow inks - I just cut the card to size and mopped the waste up with it, once it was dry I stamped it with a ships invoice stamp and a ship from the Stampman. The key, arrow and scull and crossbones are grungeboard shapes.

I'm also entering this card in to the following challenges:
Paper Sundaes: Make a Scene
Sophisticat - distressing
Cupcake - Childhood memories (I wonder if kids play pirates anymore?)
Cards for men - Fancy folds
Papertake challenge - Cutie pie
Stamp Something - Layered somethings

Thanks for looking, have a lovely weekend
Claire xx

Red, Black and Gold

Cynthia's challenge this week at Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog is to use a red, black and gold colour combination to make an oriental card. My card has been a bit of an experiment and its tricky to get a decent pic but here it is

I've been admiring the lovely crackle paints from Tim Holtz so I decided to try and create a similar effect on a budget. I painted some card with black acrylic paint, dried it with a heat gun and then applied a thick layer of Homebase crackle glaze. I had to leave it overnight to dry and then I applied a layer of red acrylic paint (with a little cosmic shimmer powder) and left it to dry again. Once it was dry I embossed the edge with gold EP. I'm quite pleased with the crackle effect and it  and it says it works with all water based paints so when I get a minute I'll experiment with other stuff too.

The scalloped circles are fabby decor plates from Carolines which have been triple embossed with halo gold and japanese lacquer EPs. I've overstamped the red decor plate with an oriental dragon but its hard to get it to show because of the shine. The lady silhouhette was sprayed with gold glitter spray and mounted with foam pads and I added a charm, gold braid and some peel off oriental script (hope it doesn't say anything rude lol)

This card is also for this weeks Corrosive Challenge which is textures and Lots to Do which is embossing.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Princess Kitty

I've used 'Princess Kitty' from Karen's Doodles to make this card. I'm really loving digital stamps at the minute and i've coloured this one with promarkers and added some glossy accents for her eyes.

The papers are from a pack of mixed designer papers from Crafts and Me, I'm on a stash diet so haven't been able to spend a lot on designer papers so this pack of assorted papers in different sizes was perfect (and a real bargain too)

This card is for this weeks challenge from Karen's Doodles UK Challenge blog which is a recipe: Karens Doodles image, 2 papers and 3 embellishments (a paper flower, a brad and some ribbon). I've used the sketch from this weeks Corrosive Challenge (in the nick of time lol).

I'm also entering this card into the Passion for Promarkers Challenge which is 'Young ones' as I thought this card would be great for a little girls birthday.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Crafty Ann's Squirrel

I love this little squirrel from Crafty Ann's and I've teamed him with papers from K&co to make this card

Mr Squirrel is coloured with promarkers and the background was created with distress inks. The embossed card is also coloured with distress ink. The card is finished off with copper organza ribbon and embellised with some oak leaves and acorns made with a Joanna Sheen stamp and coloured with inktense pencils. I triple embossed some acorns and layered them up with some foam pads.

I've made this card using Ann's digi from 'The Special 50/50' and I'm also entering it into the following challenges:

Paper Sundaes: Sketch

Gingersnaps Chestnut theme challenge (GC49) : This Good Earth

I love promarkers: Animals

Our creative corner: Bows

Hubby has gone to watch the football and I'm going to have a play with my new Sweet Pea stamps now. Hope you are having a good weekend.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Christmas Tag Card

Frankie's challenge at Dragons Dream Tag it on is 'In the City' and i've been racking my brains for days to think of an idea. Anyway the gang at Bah Humbug saved the day as their theme is Tags and Labels so I decided to combine 2 of my favourite challenges. Here is my card with 3 tags (almost a city Frankie lol)

The BP is from my stash, stamped with a Tim Holtz scroll and distressed with some black ink. I stamped the snowy city image (from Elusive images) in versamark - twice on gunmental silk mirri card, embossed with icicle tex EP and once on some ivory card embossed with black magic EP before cutting them into tag shapes. I added 3 large snowflake brads and some white and pearl grey ribbon before attaching the tags with foam pads. I used some more pearl grey ribbon, stamped the sentiment on to the ribbon with black stazon and added a bow and a little bell charm.

This card is also for the following challenges:

Just Scraps: you've been tagged

Alphabet Challenge - X is for Xmas

Fab's big Christmas Challenge - Big Brads and steel grey

Tuesday Taggers - give us a Tag

Thanks for looking,

Claire xx

A fairy easel card

I've used 'Rosie' a seriously cute little fairy from Michelle Perkett to  make this easel card. Rosie comes with a lovely rosebud background and a gorgeous sentiment too.

Rosie is coloured with promarkers and I've used 'Sparkle' EP to highlight her wings and the flowers on her dress. As usual the sparkle doesn't show up, it just looks a strange shade of green but IRL this EP is fab. This second pic shows a little of the sparkle from the EP

 I didnt have any card the right colours so I used white coloured with promarkers for the matting and layering. the base card is white linen card stamped with one of Joanna Sheens lace stamps and embossed with raspberry sorbet EP. I added some lace from my stash, a little pink velvet ribbon and lots of faux pearls.

The flower is made from beads and what a performance I had making it. It took ages and when I'd got it finished I decided to trim the wire at the back - BIG mistake, things went horribly wrong from there and somehow I ended up with a pile of wire and beads lol. I tried everything to bodge it back together but it was past saving and I had to make another. Needless to say I didn't try to tidy the back of this one lol. I made a raised panel with foam pads, cut a hole in it with my cropodile and mounted it over a blob on silicone glue - popped all the messy wire through the panel so its out of sight.

I'm entering Rosie into the following challenges

Michelle Perkett Studio - your favourite colour combo +lace and pearls (I'm very fickle with colours but I love pastel pink and green together)

Sunday Stamper - lace

Flutter by Wednesday - sparkle + of course a butterfly angel or fairy

Paperplay - Shiny Happy People

Dare you 2 digi-stamp - Metal (the beaded flower is made using wire)

Raise the Bar - Lets spring for it - I thought the little buds and pastels were perfect for a spring card.

Pile it on - Easel Cards

Thanks for looking, have a good weekend

Claire xx

Freddie with his little duck

I've used Freddie with his duck (from Pretty in Ink) for this card. He's a real cutie!

Freddie is coloured with inktense pencils and a water brush. The papers, corners and the 'hugs' sticker are more scraps from a chatterbox scrapbooking kit with some little buttons from my stash.

I'm entering Freddie in to the following challenges:

Pretty in Ink : sketch

Our creative corner: buttons

Thanks for looking

Claire

A copper Christmas card

I always struggle with cards for men, and Christmas cards for men are a total nightmare so I thought I'd try and get one out of the way early. I've made this card for my BIL, I can't get a decent pic unfortunately so this is the best I can do

The background is an elusive images stamp, stamped onto vellum with copper brilliance ink. I've stamped the reindeer (from Tim Holzt) onto acetate, embossed with copper dreams EP and then added Cosmic Shimmer Autumn Twinkles on the reverse (it looks black on the scan but its really a scrummy colour). The frame is made from some copper embossed card from my stash, it looked a bit plain so I added some little stampbord squares (copper brilliance, stamped with black stazon and triple embossed). The plaque and sentiment are both from Elusive images, coloured with glimmer mist and the letters highlighted with some glossy accents

For the following challenges:

Fab's Big Christmas Challenge - tone on tone

Bah Humbug - embossing

Susie and Vicky's Christmas Club - Reindeetr

ABC Christmas Challenge - G is for glitz

and Gingersnaps GC47 - Copper Ginger or Rust

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Fairytales and Fantasy

I've been having a lovely inky bank holiday weekend and I've made this card for the first challenge from Sir Stampalot which has a theme of 'Fantasy'

The background is brayered using my favourite big & juicy inkpad - Mountain Meadow, I love the colours and use it all the time. The stamps are from various Elusive Images themeplates. I've tried using a sakura stardust pen for the highlights on the trees, dragonflies and fairy wings. I've used some white souffle highlights on the blossom. The unicorn, toadstools and mushrooms are stamped on to card coloured with assorted starburst stains and moonshadow inks and then decoupaged to give the card a little more depth. I've edged it with a gold pentouch pen and then matted it onto some black tapestry card.

Also for the following challenges:

By the Cute and Girly - Fairytales

Crafts and Me - Fairies or Wings

Something Completely Different - 'w' is for ... in this case wings

Allsorts - No DP's

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Lovely Blog Awards

From my friend Janette, thank you so much. Janette's work is just beautiful and her blog is an inspiration so its well worth popping over to check it out.

I'm passing this award to Jan, her work with the craftrobo is out of this world you can see it on her blog Lovestocraft. I don't have a robo and only really use my cricut for the basics but I love to see Jan's creations.

Also to Ann who not only produces amazing cards but also fab digi stamps and backing papers - have a look at her blog Spirit of Creativity

And to Christine who inspired me to start blogging

Happy Easter everyone

Claire xx

Alternative Spring ...

Is this weeks theme at Dragon's Dream Tag it on and we are certainly having some  'alternative' weather. I don't know where spring has gone but for the last week is has been cold, grey and rainy. I've tried to capture this on my tag

The tag is made from hammered card with an inky background. I've used stamps from Tim Holtz and Elusive images and added some raindrops with a versamark pen and clear EP (they haven't shown up on the pic though).

This tag is also for the following challenges:

Rainbow Lady Challenge : through the window

Raise the Bar: April Showers

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge: How does your garden grow

Sunday Stamper: And your bird can sing 

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Sassy Cheryl's dancer

Here's my entry for this weeks challenge from Sassy Cheryl's Challenge blog where the theme is distressing this week

The digi image is from Sassie Cheryls, watercoloured with distress inks (tattered rose and shabby shutters) and promarkers. The bps are from a Chatterbox scrapbook kit. The papers and image were distressed with a craft knife and edged with distress inks and a little sepia versafine. White organza ribbon was coloured with shabby shutters as was the card for the sentiment (stamped using a HOTP stamp and sepia versafine. I added some pink paper roses, some lace and fb pearls to finish off.

This card is also for the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew - vintage/aged

The Creative Cottage - Pretty in Pink

Papertake weekly challenge - an open challenge this week

Cooking it up with Katie - something new (image), something old (papers) and something sweet (image)

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Friday night is party night

And here is Lou, a a gorgeous digi from Cowgirl up. She looks like a real party animal doesn't she?

Lou is coloured with derwent inktense pencils and a waterbrush, the background is distress inks and alcohol inks edged with silver EP. BPs are from HOTP as are the swirl stamps. The flowers are acetate coloured with cranberry and eggplant alcohol inks, the small ones are punched with a gem in the centre. The large ones are stamped with a craft stamper freebie and embossed with silver EP. The sentiment is a Joanna Sheen stamp, cut out with nesties.

Lou is my entry for the following challenges:

Stamp'en with CJ - free digi image and DT call

Paperplay challenge - sketch

Totally Papercrafts - lets go digital

Crafty Creations - an open challenge this week

and the ABC challenge which is R is for Red

I hope you are having a peaceful Easter

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

They grow so fast ...

I'm having a lovely crafty day today as I have the house to myself for a change. I love this digi image from Mo's Digital Pencil and when I found some bits and bobs of papers from a Chatterbox kit in my stash I thought the pastel blue and green would be great with him.

I've watecoloured the image and cut it out before layering it on one of the plain papers from the chatterbox kit.  The other papers have all been distressed with my craft knife and some random brown ink. I've added some pastel blue satin ribbon and some string which is coloured with shabby shutters distress ink. The sentiment is a sticker from the same kit again distressed with brown ink. To finish the card off, I added some 'altered' runner bean seeds. They were waiting to be planted so I pinched a few and dipped them in green EP and then dipped one in gold EP.

This card is for the following challenges:

DP2: pastels

Digital Tuesday :scraps

Allsorts: Alter or recycle something

Gingersnaps GC48 Random Redhead challenge: Growth

Lots to do: vintage

Thanks for looking

Have a happy Easter

Claire xx