Halloween at PanPastel UK

Good morning, and Happy Sunday, my card this morning is for our Halloween Challenge at PanPastel UK. As always our lucky winner will receive a fab PanPastel Starter set from our sponsor Berni at Your Creativity Store!

I've created a background with orange PanPastel and stamped with spooky bats from Chocolate Baroque. The focal image was also created with Chocolate Baroque stamps, I love the little toadstools with the spooky eyes peeking out lol. I've coloured the image with Graph'It Markers and the Mix'It which is just perfect for creating smoke and glowing flames!!(If you haven't seen these amazing new markers have a look at my post here for more info) I added black PanPastel all round the image (and a few more bats) and then took a pencil eraser and used it to emphasise the glow around the candle. You can see the glow a little better in this pic:

To finish off I've added orange ribbon, black lace and a large orange button.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Craft Punked: Halloween

Crafty Creations: Halloween spooks

Dilly Beans: Halloween

Everybody Art Challenge: purple or orange

Loves Rubber Stamps: get your spooks on its Halloween

Paper Shelter: Halloween

Sisterhood of Crafters: Halloween

Stempelsonne: Halloween

Totally Papercrafts: Spooky Halloween

Well as its Sunday morning there's a big basket of ironing waiting for me so I'd better go and tackle that  before I venture in to my craft room

Have a lovely Sunday and thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Linda's tags number 2

Hi there, brrrrrrrrrrrr I don't know what happened to Autumn but it feels like winter has arrived here in my little corner of the UK, this morning we had a snow shower!!! Its a good job I'm getting ready for Christmas then lol. Here's my second project inspired by Linda's Christmas tags (pop over to Linda's blog to find out more, you can see Tag #2 here and find out the rules here, there are some fab prizes as the challenge is sponsored by Linda's shop The Funkie Junkie Boutique)

As I've decided to make bunting inspired by Linda's tags I've stuck to my gold colour palette but taken inspiration from the techniques Linda has used and the design of her gorgeous tag. I used the Riveted Patchwork techniqe for the background, coloured with espresso and gold alcohol inks. I just love this technique, its soooo much fun to do and I love the finished result

 I've used Crafty Secrets stamps for the centres of the cogs (which are embossed with antique linen distress EP) I die cut the letters on my cricut and embossed with a sparkly red embossing powder. 

The holly sprigs are Molly Blooms stamps, I embossed these onto Ranger foil with gold ep and coloured with Cranberry and Pesto alcohol inks. To finish off I've added a swirly holly die cut, embossed with a sparkly ivory EP.

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

Anything goes: make your own embellishments

Do you stack up: embossing

Fussy and Fancy: anything goes

Holly Jolly: Here comes Santa

Hope you're having a good weekend, I've had a lovely crafty day and now I'm off to put my feet up and watch TV now, Strictly and Merlin tonight so I'm a happy bunny. Thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Christmas in October at Crafty Ann's

Good morning folks, where on earth is this year going? I hate to say it but it really won't be long until Christmas so this time our challenge over at Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog is 'Christmas in October'

For my card I've used one of the scrummy new papers from the Tradtempory Kit, beautiful frosty blues and greens with Crafty Ann's Snowman Ornaments, you can find them both in Crafty Ann's Digi Shop.

This was a quick card to make, I covered a shaped card blank with the backing paper and added faux pearls around the edge with cosmic shimmer glue and dusted them with mica powder to make them look like little snowballs. I added a die cut border and some ric rac ribbon. The image is coloured with promarkers, cut out and then I embossed the top of the bauble with silver EP and popped it up with 3d foam pads. To finish off I've added some more ribbon and a silver snowflake brad.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas: up to you

Challenges for everybody: anything goes

Charisma Cardz: anything but a square

I love promarkers: Christmas

We've got an exciting day at work today with the launch of a new project and even better a big cake to celebrate and (hopefully) lots of people coming to find out all about it so just for a change I'm not moaning abut going to work lol. Before I go though, do pop over and check out my teamies blogs and see their beautiful  Christmas projects

Claire xx

Linda's Christmas Tags

Good morning, today's project is my entry for Linda's fabulous tag challenge over at the Funkie Junkie (you can find all the details and see Linda's stunning tag here). Linda's artwork is a real inspiration to me and she also has the most gorgeous goodies in her lovely shop too. As soon as I saw the first tag I knew I wanted to play along with this fab challenge, the idea is to take inspiration from Linda's tag and create a winter holiday inspired project.To add to the excitement there are prizes from The Funkie Junkie Boutique too, do pop over to Linda's blog for all the details.

I'd had  a plan for a couple of years to make some Christmassy bunting to decorate the dresser in my hall but never got round to it, so I decided to take inspiration from Linda's tag and make my first piece of Christmassy bunting. I just adored the scrummy background Linda created so I followed the steps she used with the marble distress stains technique (I really love the new metallic distress stains!!)and then stamped swirls with tea dye distress ink and overstamped to add the rock candy glitter. I used flitter glu for this step and it worked a treat :-)

Next I created a crackled heart using grungeboard, crackle paint and distress stains and added some vellum wings created using a chocolate baroque stamp and white embossing powder. I cut the numbers on my cricut, stamped the sentiment and added some snowflakes to the bottom of the bunting. As a finishing touch I added some snowflakes made with seed beads and crytals and some bead caps and pearls to the centres of the snowflakes.

Now I'm playing catch up as Linda has posted tag number 6 and it is gorgeous so I'll hopefully be back later in the week with my second project.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas: anything goes

Die Cutting Divas: Shimmer glimmer gloss

Ooh La La: Christmas Sentiment

Totally Gorjuss: bling it on

Totally Papercrafts: Christmas

Winter Wonderland: anything but a card

I hope you're having a good week, I'm at work today just for a change but I'm counting down to the weekend as usual lol

Thanks for popping by and for all your kind comments

Claire xx

Through the window

Good morning, today's card features the new Gothic Fragments stamps available from Chocolate Baroque, this is a lovely stamp sheet which lends itself to so many different projects.

The background was made using a Crafters Workshop mask and distress inks to create a brick effect, I thought this would echo the bricks around the window image. I coloured the window image with promarkers and carefully cut out the 'glass' using a craft knife and die cut the image using nesties. I stamped the image again on acetate and embossed with black embossing powder and then used adhesive film to attach gilding flakes to the reverse of the image before attaching it behind the window. The sentiment is from 'Words of Comfort and Cheer' stamped with versamaemark and embossed an with an antique gold embossing powder. To finish off I added a bow andtwo delicate borders, die cut from white card using Crealies dies.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Bloggers: anything goes

Hiding in my Craft Room: die cuts

Its all about the vintage: embossing

My time to craft: just sepia

One Crazy Stamper: Clear or acetate

Squirrel and the fox: use a ribbon

Stamptacular Sunday: No rules

Well I'd better get organised and go to work, its really grey and miserable here at the minute, just the weather for bunkering up in my craft room but I suppose I'll have to get wrapped up and go earn some pennies.

Thanks for popping by today

Claire xx

Animals at PanPastel UK

Good morning, our theme this week at PanPastel UK is 'Animals' so I've decided to make another card for the Christmas Box. I've had this card in my head for a while so it was good to have chance to actually make it. As always our lucky winner will receive a fab PanPastel Starter set from our lovely sponsor Berni at Your Creativity Store.

I began by creating a scene using PanPastels and stamps from Stampendous (stamped with distress inks). I made a frame by using some waste from die cutting which I coloured with ultramarine blue tint PanPastel and the stamped with a Stampers Anonymous music stamp and versamark ink, I then dusted shades of brown PanPastel over the top. I used the same technique for the Christmas Carols' sentiment and cut it out to top the frame.  'The polka dot card is from Hunky Dory, distressed with a kraft knife and more brown PanPastels. I used Burnt Sienna and white panpastels to shade the reindeer die cuts, the spots are actually a snow stamp embossed with white EP. You can see the details a bit better in these pics.

I've added pastel blue seam binding ribbon, a little wooden button, bakers twine and some little beige faux berries. I also added some delicate holly die cuts, I was lucky enough to with this lovely die from the generous Teresa a couple of weeks ago.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas: anything goes

Craft a Scene: Majestic Mountains

Fussy and Fancy: Anything goes

Jingle Belles: living creatures

Sparkles Forum: Traditional Christmas

Stamp and Create: winter Wonderland

Totally Papercrafts: Christmas

Totally Stampalicious: Christmas

Thanks for visiting today

Have a lovely Sunday, 

Claire xx

Halloween creations on the catwalk at FSC

Hi there, we're modelling our spookylicious Halloween projects on the catwalk at Fashionable STamping Challenges this time, as always we've got a great prize for our lucky winner thanks to our generous sponsor Marina from Cottage Crafts. 

For my card I've created an background with violet, orange and yellow green pan pastels and overstamped with Chocolate Baroque Halloween stamps, the beauty of using panpastels is that you can use a pencil eraser to remove the colour so you don't need to bother with masking.

The focal image is one of my faavourite Sweet Pea Stamps, she's coloured with promarkers and I've used black soot to distress the image. The sentiment is also a stamp from Chocolate Baroque and the 'BOO' was cut out on my cricut and painted with black soot crackle paint. To finish off I've added some paper flowers, swirly die cuts, purple velvet ribbon and some black pompom trim.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

ATCs and Cards with Attitude: Halloween

Crafting for all seasons: spooky

CraftyCatz: Halloween

Crafty Mess: Halloween

Creatalicious: Halloween

Little Miss Muffet: Halloween colours

Live and Love Crafts: Halloween or Autumn colours

Papertake: Fright night .....BOO

Stempelsonne: Halloween

If you've got a minute do check out the gorgeously spooky projects my lovely DT Sisters have created! Thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Gothic Fragments from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning, before I dash off to work I just wanted to share a canvas I've made using the beautiful new Gothic Fragments stamps from Chocolate Baroque, I've combined them with some old favourite stamps and lots of paint and ink :-)

I've used acrylic paints for the background and then applied texture paste through a Crafters Workshop Template and brushed with mica powder for some sparkle. The butterflies are made from acetate, the image was stamped and embossed with sparkly gold embossing powder and I added glitter to the reverse of the images. 

The images of the window and the turrets from Gothic fragments and the birds from Curly birds were all stamped on tissue paper, embossed with gold WOW embossing powder and painted with twinkling H2os'. I applied them to the canvas with Matte Multimedium

To add a little more sparkle I created my own version of the encrusted jewel technique by sprinkling on   gold, violet and pearl Embossing powders, little star sequins and lots of glitter, I then heated from underneath to melt the embossing powder.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Anything Goes: make your own embellishments

Everybody Art: bling

One Stop Craft: Heat embossing

Top Tip Tuesday: Things with wings

Simon Says Stamp and Show: Your favourite (paint and ink and lots of texture)

The Stamp Man: butterflies, birds and bees

Sugar Creek Hollow: show some sparkle

Thanks for popping by

Claire xx

I'm late, I'm late

Hi folks, well I'm very late with my DT card for Crafty Ann's challenge (which started on Friday), I got sooooo behind last week with this horrible cold and chaos at work (just for a change lol) and to put the tin hat on it, I had to give a presentation at a conference on Friday, how scary is that!! Anyway I muddled through and rewarded myself with a nice lazy weekend. Goodness me I'm blethering on this morning, back to my card, our theme is Black and white plus one or Black and white plus a coloured topper. 

I've gone for a black, white and red colour palette, I've used one of Crafty Ann's beautiful mottled stone backing papers and the beautiful 'Music Collage' image (you can find them here)

I've coloured the image with distress markers and layered it up over a doiley with some ribbon, black lace and a paper rose. I've added a  few little faux pearls in the corners to finish off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

2 Sisters: anything goes

Card Crafters Circle: black, white plus one

Right, I'm off to work, don't you just love Monday mornings??

Thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Wedded Bliss at PanPastel UK

Good morning, I've been very quiet this week as I've had a terrible cold and an awful week at work, why is it work is always busy when you haven't got an ounce of energy? Anyway onward and upward, I'm having a lazy weekend to try and shake this cold off but before I go and put my feet up, here's my DT card for PanPastel UK where our theme is 'Wedded Bliss'

I've created a background with violet tint panpastel, a prima mask and some fab modelling paste from Your Creativity Store, I've sprinkled pearl mica powder on the paste for some shimmer. The focal image is a Joanna Sheen stamp I've had for years. I've coloured the skintones with promarkers and then layered up the dress by stamping the image on vellum and applying white panpastel and faux pearls. I've also paper pieced the bodice which is embossed with gilded ivory EP. You can see the image a bit better in this pc

To finish off I've added a doily, lilac seam binding ribbon, lace, some paper flowers, a spray of pearls and some gorgeous little pearl hearts that I was lucky enough to win from the lovely Teresa a couple of weeks ago.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

CRAFT: Monochromatic

Crafts and Me: anything goes

Delicious Doodles: Monochrome

Incy Wincy: anything goes

Southern Girls: ribbon

Don't forget our lucky winner will receive a fab PanPastel starter set from our generous sponsor Berni from Your Creativity Store

Thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Alter or Recycling at PanPastel UK

Good morning, brrrrrr its a nippy one this morning and my cold is no better so I'm planning a very lazy day today but before I go put my feet up with a box of tissues and a lemsip, here's my DT project for PanPastel UK. This week our theme is to alter or recycle something. 

Here's a pic of the cabinet before I altered it, the top of the cabinet had some really nasty water marks but I didn't want to throw it away so out came the sandpaper, paint and PanPastels.

I gave the cabinet a light sanding and then two coats of cream satinwood, and then once that was dry I got to work with my PanPastels and a sofft sponge. I just used three colours, violet, magenta extra dark and burnt sienna shade and just applied them with horizontal swipes with the sponge. I gave it all a spray with cheap hairspray and next added some gold paint around the edges. Once that was dry I gave it all another light sanding to distress it a bit more.

I used multi-medium as a sealer and also to decoupage the stamped images. The stamped images are all stamped and embossed in gold on white tissue paper. I've used stamps from Chocolate  Baroque's Lace Fragments, Artistic Expressions and Pretty Birdcage

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge: R is for recycle, repurpose

Craft Room Challenge: Alter it

Dilly Beans: Pink and purple

Thanks for popping by today, hope you're having a lovely Sunday

Claire xx

Shades of Autumn on the catwalk

Hi there, time to model your Autumn wardrobe on the catwalk at Fashionable Stamping Challenges as our new challenge, set my my lovely DT sister Paula is 'Shades of Autumn' . As always there's a great prize up for grabs from Cottage Crafts thanks to our generous sponsor Marina.

For my project, i've made a tag using a postcard, lots of distress inks (scattered straw, wild honey, peeled paint, dried marigold and walnut stain). The sentiment is from a Sheena Douglass stamp set, it reads 'To everything there is a season' but it hasn't shown up too well in the pic. The flowers and leaves are from Chocolate Baroque 'Sunny Sunflowers' themeplate, coloured with Graph'It markers and the fab Mix'It Palette. I've added stickles and glossy accents to the flowers and decoupaged them with silicone glue. I've added some ribbon, string, a button and some little red berries to finish off.

I'm entering this tag in the following challenges:

Crafts 4 Eternity: lots of leaves

Crafty Creations: fall colours

Creative Stamp Friends: Autumn colours

Crazy Challenge: Handmade flowers

Delicious Doodles: Flowers

Everybody Art Challenge: Tag

Loves Rubber stamps: all about Autumn

Simon Says Stamp and Show: leaves

Stamp with fun: Autumn

Stempelsonne: autumn

I do hope you'll join us on the catwalk with your Autumn inspired projects. I'm currently modelling a bit of a different look as I've come down with a nasty cold, so red nose, watery eyes and wild hair in on the catwalk here, its not a bonny look lol. I'm not sure why but if I get a cold my hair seems to develop a life of its own. Anyway hopefully Mr Blogger is playing nicely and will post this while I'm tucked up in bed and I'll get up feeling like a new woman (and hopefully looking like one too)

Thanks for visiting today, 

Claire xx

A new challenge over at NMW Challenges

Hellooooo, a spooky new challenge is starting over at No Matter Which Challenges, and this time we want to see your Halloween project or if you don't celebrate Halloween then you can use halloween colours . Before I tell you about my project, I'd better apologise for the dreadful photos, I'm a terrible photographer at the best of times but the light has been awful here so these are worse than usual lol.

Our sponsor is the lovely Joanna Sheen and our lucky winner will receive a £10 voucher for Joanna's online shop

I've created an altered bottle, I get plenty of these thanks to my son and his friends having a few drinks before they go out or while they watch the football. This one has been painted with black gesso and then I experimented with creating a background on tissue paper with twinking H2os, the stamps are all from the new Chocolate Baroque Halloween stamps and they have been embossed with black EP which acts a resist when you apply the H2os. I added lots of paint and left it overnight to dry as the tissue paper is very fragile when its damp. Once it was dry I attached it to the bottle and with matte multi medium. It was a bit tricky to get in on and the tissue is a bit wrinkled in places but hopefully that adds to the spooky look. Here's another view so you can see the rest of the stamping:

I've added lots of ribbon, trim, buttons, flowers, some black crinkly packaging 'stuff'  and a bottlecap with a stamped cobweb in the centre. I made a little witches hat from black card for the top of the bottle.

I'm entering my altered bottle in the following challenges:

Art with no Boundaries: Autumn/Halloween

Craft us Crazy: Halloween or anything goes

Decorate to celebrate: Halloween party

Hooked on Craft: Halloween

Moving Along with the times: in the dark

Partytime Tuesday: Frightfully scary

Poodles Parlour: Halloween

Thanks for visiting today, do check out my lovely teamies blogs if you've got a minute as their projects are stunning as always

Hope you're having a good weekend

Claire xx

For a baby

Good morning, phew this week has whizzed by in a flash hasn't it? Not that I'm complaining as I always look forward to the weekends. I've really enjoyed working with the new clear stamps from Chocolate Baroque and I love the oriental themed stamps but I thought it would be fun to use the stork image from Moonlit Waterfall for a baby card.

The clouds were made by sponging pink brilliance ink onto white pearlescent card. The stork was stamped with the same ink and embossed with pink EP. I made the 'nappy' with a scrap of white cotton fabric (no sewing involved lol, I used matte multi medium to hold it together and added a dinky little pink safety pin)

The nappy is hanging from some pink velvet ribbon and I've added some fluffy pink feathers and layered the stork up with silicone glue.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Cupcake Craft: pink

Fab'n'Funky: No patterned paper

Flourishes: think pink

Gem of a challenge: for the girls

Lexi's creations: pink

Stamping Boutique: pink, pink, pink

Thanks for visiting today

Claire xx

Spooky new stamps from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning all, time to start thinking of all things spooky as it won't be long until Halloween. My card today  is a Halloween gatefold card made using the fab new clear stamps 'Witches Brew'  from Chocolate Baroque

 For the front of the gatefold I brayered Tangelo memento ink on some glossy card stock and then stamped the fence using Memento Tuxedo Black. These clear stamps are perfect as you can see exactly where to position the stamp to extend the fence.

I've stamped the cobwebs around the edges and added orange roses  made using tattered pine cones and die cut swirls. Inside I created a little scene using my brayer and the spooky witch and cauldron  image. I stamped the cobwebs around the edges of the black base card and this time I used versamark ink and dusted with mica powders for a spooky shimmer

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Card mania: Handmade flowers

Corrosive Challenge: Halloween with a monster or villain

Crazy Challenge: Handmade flowers

Craft us Crazy: Halloween or anything goes

Hooked on Crafts: Halloween

My Craft Spot: Halloween

That craft place: Make your own background

Thanks for popping by today

Claire xx

Anything goes at Vintage Stamping Challenges!!

Hi there, October already and its time for our first challenge at Vintage Stamping Challenges!! How exciting is that? We're sponsored by Flonzcraft who have an amazing range of stamps and will be giving our lucky winner a $20 voucher each month.

I've used images from a gorgeous little stamp set called 'Countrylife Pastoral' I've used the lady image and the cute little girl with flowers, the sentiment is from the same set too. They are clear stamps and a real bargain price! Anyway I've coloured the images with promarkers and die cut with nesties. I've used backing paper from K&Co, paper roses from Wild Orchid with a little gesso and glamour dust. and added some leaves and berries from my stash.  I've also added some cheesecloth, a vintage metal corner, lace, seambinding ribbon, a little wooden button and a bakers twine bow.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Card Crafters Circle: Vintage

Crafty Catz: Lace and ribbon

Crafty Sentiments: Autumn colours

Crazy 4 Challenges: leaves

Joanna Sheen: down in the garden

Passion for Promarkers: autumn leaves

Sweet Stampin: Vintage

Totally Gorjuss: punches/dies

Thanks for popping by, if you've got a minute do check out my new teamies beautiful projects

Claire xx