Anything Goes at Polkadoodles

Good morning again, two posts today and this project is for our Anything Goes challenge over at Polkadoodles! Pop over to the challenge blog and check out all my teamies beautiful projects and find out about all the new releases and of course the fab prize for our lucky winner!

 I've made a cute little hanging heart all ready for Christmas. I've used one of the gorgeous embossed papers from the Winnie White Christmas collection and added one of the new Christmas sentiment stamps Heartfelt Wishes.

I stuck the paper to the mdf heart using matte gel medium. Once it was dry I sanded around the edges to remove the excess paper. I love this paper it's so pretty and looks really 3d!. I stamped the sentiment on some white card and glued that across the heart and added some blingy trim and a little lace. I used bright red organza ribbon to create the hanging loop, added a bow, a bell and a sparkly dazzler to finish off.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Christmas at Sweet Stampin: Anything goes for Christmas

CRAFT: Christmas

Crafting from the heart: Anything goes

Inky Chicks: Anything but square

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: Anything goes Christmas

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

Claire xx

Nature's Peace from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, this card features stamps from Nature's Peace from Chocolate Baroque. I wanted to create a sunny Autumn scene.

 I began with a PanPastel background and stamped the tree using brown ink, the foliage in the top corner with green ink and then stamped the foliage in the foreground with a dark green ink, over stamping with the berried inked in red ink. The sentiment was stamped and embossed with a vintage gold ink.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Artistic Inspirations: Anything goes
Love to Craft: Anything goes
Paper Shelter: Make it square
Sparkles Forum: Autumn colours
The Crafty Addicts: Anything goes autumn colours

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

Claire xx

Anything Goes at Colour Crazy Challenge

Good morning, it's time for a new challenge over at Colour Crazy Challenge and this time our theme is Anything Goes. Our sponsor this time around is Oddball Art so our lucky winner will be in for a treat!

I've used Santa's Little Helper from Oddball Art to make this card. I've coloured the image with Graph'It markers, I just love how vibrant the reds are in these markers. Perfect for Xmas makes. The paper is from Winnie White Christmas from Polkadoodles. I've added some paper flowers, leaves and red bow topped with a little wooden Christmas tree button.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas Challenge: U for unlimited/V for vibrant
Little Miss Muffet: Anything goes
The Holly and Ivy Challenge: Anything Christmas goes
The Merry Christmas Challenge: Anything Christmas
The Ribbon Girls: Any card with ribbon

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

Anything Goes or Halloween at Polkadoodles

Good morning folks, my project today is an art journal page for our Anything Goes challenge over at Polkadoodles. As always we've got lots of inspiration from my teamies and a fabulous prize from Polkadoodles lined up for our lucky winner so pop over to the challenge blog to find out all the details.

I've used this adorable image from Polkadoodles for my journal page. She's called Winnie Wednesday Witch with Cat, you can get her as a digital stamp here or you can treat yourself to the full Winnie Wednesday Halloween Collection (full of gorgeous images, papers and sentiments) here. 

I began by creating my background. I splashed on some masking fluid to create create some stars and once that was dry I misted the page with water. Next I sloshed on metallic acrylic paints in shades of blue, pink, green and purple adding lots of water to help them blend. I added dark blue acrylic and then black around the edges and left it all to dry. 

While the background was drying I coloured Winnie using Graph'It markers:

I cut Winnie out leaving a little ground at the bottom of the image and went back to the background. Once it was thoroughly dry I rubbed off the masking fluid to create some nice bright stars, next Isplashed diluted white gesso on the background to create some stars. I added more stars with a white posca pen. I used matte medium to collage Winnie on to the background.

I'm entering this page in the following challenges:

Animal Friends: Autumn/Halloween

Craftaholics R us: Anything goes

Fairytale: Pumpkin

Pause Dream Enjoy: Halloween

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: not a card

Try it on Tuesday: It's Halloween Time

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

Claire xx

Fantasy Woodland

Good morning folks, today I'm sharing a little Autumnal canvas made using stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

  I began with a brusho background and then stamped the trees (from  Fantasy Woodland) and embossed with gold embossing powder. I added some little dots of clear glue and created some foliage with beadazzles.

Next I took some brown acrylic paint and grounded the trees. Once that was dry I stencilled in some leaves using green acrylic paint and the Useful Leaves stencil. Next I added some falling leaves using the Seasonal Elements stencil and the word Autumn using the Seasonal Journey stencil and iridescent paste. Once the paste was dry I coloured the leaves and word with alcohol markers.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Allsorts: Trees/Leaves

Creative Artiste: Anything goes

Noor Designs UK: Fall colours

Thats' Crafty: Forever Autumn

The Crafty Addicts: anything goes autumn colours

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

Claire xx

Tall Trees from Chocolate Baroque

Oops I meant to post this card yesterday bus as usual work has been so busy I just haven't had a minute. Anyway the weekend is here  and I'm going to be a busy bee making samples for some more of Lesley's shows on Hochanda! This card is one of the samples I made for the shows last month which featured some of my favourite Chocolate Baroque stamps.

This card was made using stamps from Tall Trees. I created a little scene on linen card using a torn paper mask and distress inks before stamping the trees with brown ink. I then cleaned the stamp and inked up the top part of the trees with gilding glue and stamped again before applying glitter in shades of green, orange and brown. The sentiment is from Birthday Words.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Brown Sugar: Orange brown and green

Creative Knockouts: Anything goes

Making Memories Crafting: Anything goes Autumn/Halloween

That's Crafty: Forever Autumn

Through the Purple Haze: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Flowers and butterflies canvas

Good morning my lovelies, today's project is a canvas made for our 'Anything Mixed Media/Creative Goes' challenge over at We Love to Create with Polkadoodles. We've had some really exciting changes over on the challenge blog and this is our first challenge using Polkadoodles goodies. We've got some gorgeous papers and a beautiful set of stamps for our lucky winner so do pop over and find out all the details.

I've used lots of gorgeous stamps and dies to make this canvas, along with a little stencilling, Foamiran flowers and some beautiful printables from the Belle Papillon collection. I've done a step by step tutorial over on the We Love 2 Create with Polkadoodles blog if you'd like to find out more about how I made this project.

Here a few more pics to show the detail:

This is one of my favourite techniques, I love the sparkle of microbeads

I love all these pretty stamps and dies, they've been painted with distress inks and die cut using the coordinating doublet dies

I've stamped the foliage using Potting Soil archival ink and overstamped the larger leaves with a script stamp from Belle Papillon

I've added lots of texture with raffia, angel hair and lots of die cut foliage

I'm entering this canvas in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More: anything goes

Creative Knockouts: lots of layers

Inky Chicks: use your favourite colours

Frilly and Funkie: show us your stamps

Fussy and Fancy: Shabby Chic

Sisterhood of Crafters: use your dies

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

Claire xx

Polka Doodles Belle Papillon A5 stamp set	Bella Fleur Large stamp set	Birdhouse Doublet Die set	flower Flourish die	Flowers 1
Belle papillon crafting kit	PolkaDoodles Butterfly 1 ′Doublet′ die	Polkadoodles dies - Flower Branch die set

We love to Create with Polkadoodles!!

Good morning folks, it's an exciting day today as after a little break we're back with a bang over at the We Love To Create challenge and we're so excited to become part of the Polkadoodles family! We're still going to be a mixed media challenge but we'll be showcasing lots of lovely goodies from Polkadoodles too. 

As well as a monthly challenge with a fab prize, we'll be having regular Guest Designers to join us and some tutorials too. I'll be doing our very first tutorial next week so today I'm sharing some sneaky peaks of my project! I hope you'll stop by the blog and find out all the details!!

Thanks for visiting today

Claire xx

New England Winter Acetate Card

Hello my lovelies, how's your Saturday going? Today's card features one of my all time favourite stamps from Chocolate Baroque, yes it's New England Winter again. I just love this  little house.

To make this acetate card I cut the front off an 8x8card blank leaving a little border (about 2cm) along the top and used red line tape to attach an acetate panel. I stamped the gorgeous little house from New England Winter on watercolour card and added some colour with watercolour paints, highlighted with glitter and glossy accents. I cut this out and then tore several strips of card, adding glitter to the torn edges. The important thing with this style of card is to add some weight to the front of the card otherwise it doesn't stand up properly so the strips of snowy card give the front some strength. Layer the strips of card, popping the house in between. I added some 'snow' with a white Posca Pen and some icicles with glue and glitter. I stencilled the moon using Seasonal Elements stencil and white gesso with a sprinkle of glitter. The sentiment is from Let's Get Festive. I made the background using watercolour paint, creating a very dilute wash of colour. 

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

A Snowflakes Promise: Anything goes

Creates and Makes: Anything goes

Christmas at Sweet Stampin: anything goes for Christmas

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: anything goes Christmas

The Merry Christmas Challenge: Anything Christmas

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

Claire xx

Reindeer Landscape from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning my lovelies, how's your weekend going? Today's card features the beautiful Reindeer Landscape, another favourite from Chocolate Baroque. I stamped the focal image with Black Versafine ink and used a black pitt pen to extend the landscape to each side.

I added shadows to the hills with very dilute watercolour paint in shades of blue, purple and pink. I used slightly more intense shades of the same colours to create the sky, masking a little moon. I added some snow with splatters of white gesso and a white posca pen before stamping the sentiment which comes from the lovely new set Let's Get Festive,

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Christmas Card Challenges: Anything Christmas/Winter

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas: Anything Christmas Goes

HeARTful Stamping Challenge: anything goes plus stamping

Happy Little Stampers Christmas: Christmas

Penny Black and More: Christmas

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

Claire xx

New England Winter from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, I haven't had a lot of time for crafting or blogging lately but I did mange to make some samples for the recent Chocolate Baroque shows on Hochanda. This card features New England Winter, this is one of my all time favourite sets!

I began by stamping the image onto watercolour paper and painting with masking fluid. I gave it a good coat of the fluid as I was planning on a very messy background lol. Once the masking fluid was dry spritzed the card with plenty of water and set to with my watercolour paints to create a 'galaxy sky' effect. I used shades of blue, green, purple and pink - mixed with plenty of water and added black around the edges. While the paint was wet I sprinkled over some rock salt and then added some drops of rubbing alcohol. I wasn't sure how the alcohol would react with the water but it was on my desk so i had a go. The salt created the feathery effect in the background (I think I added a bit too much lol) and the alcohol created the circles. I left the background to dry and and then splattered everything with watered down white gesso and again left it to dry before adding some even white stars with a white posca pen. Once the background was completely dry I removed the masking fluid and watercoloured the image. I added glossy accents to the tree lights and white pva glue generously sprinkled with glitter to create the snow in the foreground. The sentiment is from Let's Get Festive.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps: Christmas

Christmas at Sweet Stampin: anything goes for Christmas

Little Red Wagon: make your background

The Merry Christmas Challenge: anything Christmas

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Stamp it

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

Claire xx

Anything Goes at Polkadoodles

Good morning folks, it's an 'Anything Goes' theme over at Polkadoodles so I hope you're going to join in the fun to be in with the chance of winning a fab prize from the Polkadoodles store! 

The DT were challenged to make a card using hot colours, so I decided to have a play with my watercolour paints. I stamped the butterflies and flowers (from Bella Fleur and Belle Papillon stamp sets) using versamark ink and embossed with black EP.  I just love these stamps, they are so useful but soooo pretty! You can find links to them at the bottom of this post

I simply painted with red, rose and yellow paints and added some splatters here and there. I stamped the sentiment in black ink and doodled a border to finish off before laying on black card.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafting from the Heart: Anything goes
Crafty Sentiments: Anything goes
Stamping Sensations: Anything goes
Sweet Stampin: doodling
Through the Craft Room Door: Anything goes

Thanks so much for visiting today
Claire xx

Polka Doodles Belle Papillon A5 stamp set

Bella Fleur Large stamp set

Anything goes at Colour Crazy Challenge

Good morning folks, it's time for a new challenge over at Colour Crazy Craft Challenge and it's a nice easy theme again .... Anything Goes. We've got a lovely prize from our sponsor Crafty Ribbons and you can use any medium you want to enter, as long as you include a hand coloured image.

I have to confess that I'm a bit of a ribbon addict and have loads of goodies from our lovely sponsor Crafty Ribbons. I've used some lovely pale blue organza ribbon on this card with  supercute image from the Polkadoodles Winnie Winterland collection and lots of Polkadoodles die cuts. The image was coloured with Lyra pencils and I added lots of glamour dust for a little frosty sparkle. I've used some of my favourite dies from Polkadoodles and added some little flowers from one of the Design Sheets from Winnie Winterland.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Christmas at Sweet Stampin: anything goes for Christmas

Incy Wincy: no words

Lemon Shortbread: Anything goes

Paper Shelter: punches/dies

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: anything goes

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

Claire xx

Anything goes at Polkadoodles

Good morning my lovelies, our theme at Polkadoodles Challenge is Anything Goes so it's easy peasy to be in with a chance to win a lovely prize from Polkadoodles!

The DT were challenged to use the theme holidays/summer fun so I've used this cute image from Work and Play 4, she's called Swimming Girl and you can get her as a digistamp here. I've coloured her with Lyra pencils and used PanPastels to create the background. 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Corrosive Challenge: anything goes

CRAFT;  Anything goes

Crafting with an attitude: Anything goes

Crafty Friends: Anything goes

Creative Fingers: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Hanging Flowers from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning my lovelies, Monday already so I'm heading off to work but before I go I just wanted to share a card featuring Hanging Flowers, one of the beautiful new stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

I stamped the focal image onto some white stamping card with black Versafine ink and then stamped twice more on some scraps of stamping card so that I could decoupage some of the flowers. I coloured the images with watercolour pencils, using a damp brush to blend the colour. I coloured around the image with watercolour paint using lots of water to create a muted effect.I stamped the foliage using Take it or Leaf it with a little distress ink. I splashed a little blue and green watercolour paint here and there and added a blue bow and a sparkly dazzler to finish the card off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Friends: Anything goes
Fussy and Fancy: Favourite Colour (blue flowers)
Simply Create Too: flowers
Southern Girls: Add some stamping
Sweet Stampin: Flowers

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

Claire xx

Anything Creative/Mixed Media goes at We Love to Create

Good morning my lovelies, it's been another busy week at work so I'm enjoying a lazy weekend with a wee bit of crafting thrown in. My project today is for our 'Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes' challenge over at We Love 2 Create. As always we have some lovely crafty goodies just waiting for our lucky winner thanks to our generous sponsor Premium Craft Brands and you don't have to use our products to play along!

 I'd been looking through some old Craft Stamper mags for some inspiration and found a few techniques that inspired this tag. Seth Apter had created a gorgeous crackled background using Tinting base and acrylics so I had a go using my Pans and Tinting base.

I kind of thought my tag looked a bit like an old shed door so I added some grungeboard hinges, a key (again coloured with PanPastels). I stamped some Paper Artsy numbers here and there and added a shink plastic sign to my door, again using a Paper Artsy stamp. I added some grass to the bottom and some dotty flowers with white and yellow pens.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

A Perfect Time to Craft: anything goes

Artistic Stampers: Anything goes

Country View Crafts: blues and greens

Creative Artiste: Anything mixed media

Through the Purple Haze: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Raw Umber PanPastel	Bright Yellow Green Shade	Phthalo Blue extra dark	Burnt Sienna PanPastel	PanPastel Phthalo Green
Bright Yellow Green Pan Pastel

Anything Goes or Christmas at Polkadoodles

Good morning folks, are you ready for the weekend? I certainly am, I'm getting too old to work for a living lol. My card today is for our 'Anything Goes' Challenge at Polkadoodles. The DT were challenged to make a Christmas project so we're hoping to give you a little inspiration to get an early start with your Christmas cards.

When is a peacock not a peacock? When it's a Christmas tree lol.

I've used the fabby Regal Peacock stamp set from Polkadoodles to make this card, those peacock feathers make wonderful Christmas trees with a little glitter glue to create some baubles.

I began by masking the moon and using torn paper masks to create the hills, I've used  Iced Spruce distress ink and an ink duster to ink in the sky and hils. The 'trees' were stamped with the same ink and I used a wet brush to add a little dimension and shading to the trees. I stamped the flourishes from the same stamp set around the edges and to create branches and added dots of glitter glue. I stamped the word 'Happy', drew the baubles and wrote the letters in them and highlighted them with glossy accents.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Crafting by Designs: Christmas
Crafting from the Heart: Anything goes
Crafts Galore Encore: Anything goes
Love to Scrap: Anything goes
Ooh La La: Landscapes

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

Winter Solstice from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, a quick post before I dash off to work as I wanted to share this project made using stamps and stencils from Chocolate Baroque.

 I began by stamping 

Winter Dawn onto white car and coloured her with Graph'It Markers. I outlined the image with a black marker annd then applied black gesso all round and then added some colour using Twinkling H2O paint in blued and purples. I stamped the image again on acetate using versmark in and embossed with a sparkly white powder. I cut the snowflakes out and layered them up over the image. I added a little glue and glitter too give some more dimension.

 I added some stencilling around the image using the Seasonal Elements stencil and glassy gel medium, sprinkling with more glitter while the medium was still wet. The colours of the paint have bled through this while it was drying, a happy accident as I love the effect!  I applied clear versamark ink through the stencil to create the wording and embossed with Icicle WOW EP. I layered the focal image up one some corrugated card that I'd painted with black gesso and highlighted with a little silver gilding wax. I added a little scrap of ribbon and a snowflake embellishment to finish off.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks: Blue Christmas

Christmas at Sweet Stampin: Anything goes for Christmas

Creative Craft Cottage: Christmas

Frilly and Funkie: Christmas

WOW embossing powder: Anything goes with EP

Thanks so much for popping by, hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes at We Love 2 Create

Good morning my lovelies, my second post today and this one is my project for our Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes challenge at We Love 2 Create. Those lovely people at Premium Craft Brands have some lovely crafty goodies just waiting for our lucky winner and you don't even have to use our products to enter! 

I've made a journal page for my DT project this time around. I began by cleaning my very gungy brick stencil that I 'd used on another project onto my page with a baby wipe. Its amazing how much texture paste is left on a stencil when you've finished using it. Once this was dryI added some colour with shades of brown PanPastels. I coloured the centre area with Bright Yellow Green and Shade PanPastels. I added some foamiran lilies that I'd made using stamps and dies from Sheena Douglass. I stamped the pink memento ink and then added colour with my Magenta PanPastel once I'd die cut the lilies. I coloured the bird cage and little birdie die cuts with PanPastels and then glued everything in place. The sentiment is from Indigo Blu, stamped with a mix of pink and green ink.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

A Perfect time to craft: anything goes

Everybody Art: Summer/Tropical

Fussy and Fancy: Anything goes

Wonderful Wednesdays: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Burnt Sienna PanPastel	Raw Umber PanPastel	Metallic Pan Pastel, Pewter	Pan Pastel - Magenta	Bright Yellow Green Pan Pastel
Bright Yellow Green Shade	PanPastel Ultramarine Blue	Hansa Yellow	PanPastel - Sofft Knives and Covers