Cooking it up with Katie

Wednesday already so its time for another great recipe from Cooking it up with Katie and this weeks fabulous sponsor GingerLoft. I chose this beautiful romantic silhouette image from GingerLoft for my DT card this week and of course our recipe ingredients which are 'TEXTURE, SKETCH, PUNCHING'

I've used this weeks sketch from 'Sketch'n'Stash', I love this sketch and thought it would be perfect for the image. I've used black card and made an 8x8 base card, red bp from K&Co stamped with some HOTP swirls and embossed with black EP. The main image is coloured with promarkers and triple embossed, matted on some red glitter card. The glitter card has been in my stash for years, its gorgeous in real life as the glitter is under a layer of shimmery film but it doesn't seem to like having its photo taken lol.

I made a frame using black mirri card and and little swirl stamps embossed with firework red EP. The red and black glittery layer adds the texture and punching for this weeks recipe. I made it using the glittered lace technique - really easy and fun but pretty messy. I stuck double sided film to some card and laid a strip of broad lace over the top and then tipped a load of black glitter over the top and brayered it with an old hard rubber brayer. The lace acts as a resist so when you remove the lace you are left with the pattern in glitter. Next you cover the card with a contrasting colour glitter, I used red and when you tip off the excess the lace pattern is all sparkly and glittered!!

I punched the bottom of the glittered lace card with an EK success scallop punch. A word of warning though, I nearly broke one of my Martha Steward punches trying to use it so if you have a try make sure you use a strong punch. To finish off I added some dots of ranger black enamel accents, some black velvet ribbon and some rose from Wild Orchid Crafts

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

A Spoonfull of Sugar: Valentine

Craft Your Days Away: Love

Crafts and me: Monochrome

Everybody Art Challenge: My favourite things (triple embossing and glitter

are two of my all time faves!!)

A Gem of a Challenge: Ribbon and Lace

Passion for Promarkers: Let it shine

Totally Papercrafts: Add a heart

Paperplay: Back to black

Thanks for visiting today, I'm off to dust the glitter off everything now lol.

Claire xx

Cute challenge at Cooking it up with Katie!

Time for another fab recipe challenge at Cooking it up with Katie, this week we want to see you use the following ingredients in your creations : Green, Brads and Cute! Our lucky winner will receive a prize from our fab sponsor, Meljen's Designs and you don't get much cuter than Meljen's images! I've used this gorgeous cupcake image for my DT card this week.

I've coloured the cupcake with promarkers, embossed the stars with sparkle EP and added some green glitter to the ribbon and the sprinkles on the cupcake. The bps are from my stash, i think they were free with a magazine. I've added some sparkly green brads, pink satin ribbon and some flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts. The sentiment was printed with my new toy, I've just got a Xyron Design runner and so far I'm loving it! I may be brave enough to use it straight on the bp before long lol!

I'm entering this cute little cupcake in the following challenges:

The Crafty Pad: Something new (new stash - my design runner)

Gingerloft: celebrations

One Stitch at a time: New (new stash )

Paper Sundaes: Fav challenge from the last year (challenge #50 - something new)

Scrappy Frogs Challenge: Cupcakes

Sketch Saturday: sketch

Delicious Doodles: Use 3 colours (pink, green and yellow)

Sew Many challenges: Happy Birthday

Totally Papercrafts: Happy birthday

Thanks for calling by today, have fun with our recipe this week!

Claire xx

Cooking it up with Katie and Digital Delights!!

Our new challenge at Cooking it up with Katie is a day later than usual, bet you thought we'd forgotten lol!! No we're a day late this week because we are lucky enough to be sponsored by the fabulous Digital Delights by Louby Lou who have a new image release today!!

The DT have been lucky enough to have chance to play with some of the gorgoeus new images for this weeks challenge!! Our recipe this week is: Embossing, Love and Pink. Some great ingredients for your creations this week!

I've used a bp and some red glitter card from my stash (edged with MS punch around the page punches) and coloured the image with promarkers. The 'with love' ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons and the roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Where is the embossing?? Hiding lol! I've embossed the little cutie ladybirds eyes, and antenna with a versamark pen and clear EP but as usual my dreadful photography skills haven't managed to capture the detail.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Lexi's Creations: Say it with love

Crafty Hos' Challenge: Monochromatic

One Stitch at a Time: Love/Valentine

Crafty Emma's Challenge: All creatures great and small

Fab'n'Funky: Let's Get Warm and toasty

I love promarkers: Punches

Scrap Creations: Love is in the air

I hope you're going to play along with us at Cooking it up with Katie this week. Its a great recipe for Valentine cards!

Claire xx

Cooking it up with Katie, back with a new challenge!!

Hi and welcome to a new challenge, our first of the new year at Cooking it up with Katie and this time around Katie has a fab recipe for you, we want to see Buttons, ribbon and animals in your creations. I've used this cute house mouse stamp for my DT card this week

The crumpled gingham bp is from my stash, stamped and embossed with stitching stamps from Elusive Images around the edge and stitched flowers in the corners with tiny lilac buttons in the centres.

The image is coloured with promarkers, the stripey wallpaper in the background was also coloured with promarkers. The mirror is triple embossed with clear EP to give a little shine. The lilac gingham ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge : Buttons and bows

Delicious Doodles: Purple Reign

I did it creations: Favourite technique (ooooh i have loads but heat embossing is one of my all time favourites)

Craft your passion: Anything goes

House Mouse and Friends: New beginnings (this is for a friend who is retiring from work, hope that counts as a new beginning)

Thanks for calling by today, I hope you'll find time to join in and create something with this weeks recipe.

Claire xx

Whats your favourite?

Hi there, its time for a new challenge from Cooking it up with Katie, this week we want to see Ribbon, brads and your favourite technique!

We have a fab sponsor as usual, our lucky winner will recieve a prize from Robyn's Fetish, I've used this beautiful fairy and bp from Robyn's fetish for my card and used my favourite technique which is brayering for the window background.

I coloured the fairy with promarkers (another favourite technique for me) and added some judikins prisma glitter. I've used a big and juicy waterfall inkpad for the background, masked the moon and hills, stamped a couple of birds and added some clouds using London Fog memento ink and cotton wool I cut the window shape from white card and added a couple of silver brads for the handles and layered it over the scene with foam pads. To finish off I added a blue bow and some flowersoft for snow in the corners of the windows.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Bee Crafty: Winter/christmas without traditional Christmas images

Ellephantastic: Christmas/Winter

Stamp Scrap and Doodle: Monochromatic

Totally Gorjuss: Snow

Alphabet challenge: G is for glitter

Daring Cardmakers: Snow much fun

Stampin with the Dragon: Make is sparkle

Thanks for visiting today, I can't wait to see what your favourite technique is!

Sorry I haven't been a bad blogger lately, I haven't had much chance for blog hopping as my back is still stopping me from spending much time at the computer and work is getting in the way of any crafting. Hopefully normal service will be resumed before too much longer

Claire xx

This weeks recipe at Cooking it up with Katie

Good morning, Wednesday already and time for another fab recipe at Cooking it up with Katie!! This week our recipe is an easy one so I hope you'll  join us and use these ingredients in your creation: Red. Layers, Christmas. See told you it was easy!! This week we are sponsed by Stampin Dragon Designs and I've used this gorgeous candy cane image for my project.

I got the blank snowglobe from the pound shop (2 for a quid, bargain or what??) and stamped a background using an elusive images snowflake and red ink onto some white card. I printed the image out 3 times and coloured it with promarkers, cut it our and decoupaged it, i've tried to show the layers in the pic but i had a struggle. I had to shake the snowglobe, put it down, grab my camera and take the pic as I wanted to be able to catch the glitter swirling around - NOT easy, it took me about 6 attempts (and some choice words lol)

I stamped a lovely Christmas verse on the back but forgot to take a pic. The verse is from Elusive images and says "A hug is a perfect Christmas gift, one size fits all and its easily returned all year round"

I'm entering my Christmas ornament in the following challenges:

Incy wincy: Christmas gifts

There's magic in the air: Christmas ornament

Corrosive challenge: red and white christmas

The Crafty Pad: Anything goes

2 Sisters: Sparkly Christmas

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge: Christmas

Thanks for calling by. I seem to have made a lot of Christmas cards and quite a few decorations. I'm really going to have to get myself organised and do some shopping as i haven't even started yet!

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

Family, gold, punches

Hi, time for a new challenge at Cooking it up with Katie, this week we are sponsored by Fairy Knoll and our challenge is to use these ingredients in your card: Gold, punches and family. I've used some gorgeous stamps from Whiff of Joy for this sidestep card.

The images are all coloured with promarkers and cut out. I made the background panels by dotting glossy card with a versamark pen for stars and brayering with blue and then black dye inks. The sentiment is also from Whiff of Joy, stamped and gold embossed on a creative acrylic tag and then attached to some brayered card with glossy accents. I added a gold punched border and a couple of gold bows to finish off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative inspirations: Christmas/winter

Cute Card Thursday: Anything goes

Thanks for visiting today,

Claire

Katie's recipe this week....

Wednesday already so it's time for a new recipe at Cooking it up with Katie, we've got a fab sponsor again this week and our lucky winner will receive a prize from Robyn's Fetish! I've used this adorable image from our sponsor  to make my card this week, the ingredients for Katie's recipe are : Food/Beverage, Tag, Sentiment and I've used them to cook up a Christmas recipe.

The image is coloured with promarkers and the bowl has been triple embossed to make it look like china. I've added a die cut circle, edged with gold EP and a doily. The bp is from Raspberry Road Designs. I cuttlebugged two squares of red card and then swiped with a versamark ink pad and embossed with gold again. To finish off I added some gorgeous gingerbread man ribbon from Crafty Ribbons, some red gems and a tag stamped with an Elusive Images Christmas sentiment.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

C.R.A.F.T: Dry embossing

Stamp Something: Sketch

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge: Red and Gold

One stop craft Challenge: embossing

Craft your passion: double anything (I've used 2 embossed squares)

For Fun challenge: dry embossing

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you're going to cook up something with Katie's recipe this week. It doesn't have to be a Christmas card but I seem to be on a roll making them lately

Claire xx

Add a little texture, a dash of black and some swirls

Time for a new challenge at Cooking it up with Katie, this week Katie's recipe is

• Texture
• Black
• Swirls

and we have a fab sponsor, this week the winner will receive a prize from Meljen's Designs! I've used this supercute image from Meljen's to make a get well card

The image is coloured with promarkers and matted on some black card. BPs are from Raspberry Road Designs, again matted on black card. I added a border of coredinations whitewash card which I embossed with the cuttlebug swirls folder and sanded before adding some pleated ribbon. I added some black buttons and a little sentiment on a punched envelope to finish off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges: Sketch

Paper Romance: Pleated Ribbon

One Stop Craft Challenge: Anything goes

Gingerloft Challenge: Buttons

Lollipop Crafts: embossing

My time to craft: Quick and cute

Thanks for calling by today. I'm counting down to the weekend as I finish work on Friday for a whole week off!!

Claire xx

A refreshing change...

I think we've all been loving the gorgeous Autumn and Halloween colours around for the last few weeks but making this card was such a refreshing change after all those browns, blacks oranges and purples! This week's recipe at Cooking it up with Katie is the perfect one for you if you're looking for a change too. Our recipe this week is

• Lilac
• Girly
• Bow

and we are sponsored by Robyn's Fetish and  the DT were all able to use a fab image and I chose this beautiful bird and bird house! Such a cute image

The liac crackle background is made using lilac and buttermilk ecogreen paints and pva glue. The lemon squares are also plain card and ecogreen paint as is the lilac card the main image is matted on. The lilac gingham paper is from my stash. All the layers have paper piercing around the edges and some distressing for a bit of interest.

The image is coloured with promarkers. I added some flowers (made with Marianne dies and ecogreen paint), tiny buttons, memory wire spirals and a gingham bow to finish off

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Cute card Thursday: Sketch

Crafty Emma's Challenge: Buttons and Bows

Frosted Designs: Lets see your die cuts

Meljens: Anything goes

I did it creations: Surprise me

Thanks for visiting today :-)

Claire xx

What's Cooking with Katie this week?

Hi there, halfway to the weekend, I'm counting down already lol (not that I don't love my job of course tee hee). Wednesday morning means a new recipe from Cooking it up with Katie  and this week we'd like to see you use the following ingredients

• Make mine a double
• Glitter
• Letters

I've cooked up a Christmas card with this weeks recipe, using a gorgeous digi from our fab sponsor Stamping Dragon. I love this image, it really made me think of an old fashioned Christmas so I used 2 of the gorgeous papers from Dovecraft Noel papers. They really made me think of vintage wallpapers

The image is coloured with promarkers and I added some glitter around the fire and the candles. The image is mounted on the stripey paper with foam pads and matted on some gold mirri card. The sentiment is a stamp from Elusive Images, stamped in red ink on cream card and then highlighted with glossy accents. I thought this stamp would be perfect for the 'letters' part of the recipe. To finish off I added a couple of paper poinsettias.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Winter Wonderland : Vintage look

Tuesday Throwdown: Anything goes

Paper Cutz: Anything goes

If the shoe fits: Holiday challenge (I'm celebrating Christmas)

Wee Memories: Celebrate the good times (Christmas)

Thanks for visiting today.I hope you're going to try our recipe this week.

Claire xx

Cooking it up with Katie

Hi, Wednesday again, where is the week going? This week's challenge from Cooking it up with Katie seems to have come around really quickly doesn't it? Our recipe this week is

• 
  
  Quote
• 
  
  Chipboard
• 
  
  Red

and we have a wonderful sponsor again this week, Shelley's Images! I used this image for my card this week - sorry the photo isn't too good my dreadful photography skills were made even worse than usual by the dark horrible weather!!

The image is coloured with promarkers and highlighted with sakura stardust pens. I struggled for a quote and settled on this one from Elusive images. I tore the edges of the image and the quote and inked them with vintage photo and pine needles DI. The other torn sheet is made with acrylic paints on linen card - i used a layer of dark green then a layer of coppery red and splashed it with water before blotting to let some of the green show through. The flowers are made with a Marianne designs die (Floral Fantasy) with a gem in the centre. The gem was a clear one coloured with alcohol ink but it doesn't show up to well in the pic. The red corrugated card and the ribbon are from my stash. The gorgeous wood grain bp is from Crafty Ann's.

I kind of thought I'd finished the card and then remembered ' CHIPBOARD' aaaaargghhh!! I was a bit stuck as I don't use a lot of chipboard embellies and didn't have anything remotely suitable. I did have loads of really naff chipboard tags and shapes that came with kits i bought when I first started crafting though. I took a round tag that had some teddies on it and inked it with versamark and added a few layers of cosmic shimmer EPs in gold, lava black and green and then stamped into it with a leafy branch stamp from Elusive images. I raided the shed for a bit of string to finish it off. I'm really pleased with the way this turned out so i'll be able to use up all those chipboard shapes i've got now, sometimes it pays to be a hoarder lol. I'm entering this tip in this weeks Top Tip Challenge

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Artistic Stamper: Layer it on

Paper Sundaes: Somthing from your stash

Craft your passion: Crimped paper

Sentimental Sundays: Autumn

Sunday Stamper: String

Digital Tuesday: ribbon, buttons, bling (any or all - i've used ribbon and a little bling)

Tuesday Throwdown - Use Chipboard

Oldie but goodie: All creatures great and small

Thanks for looking, I'm looking forward to seeing what you can cook up with us this week

Claire xx

What's cooking with Katie this week?

Its time for a new recipe at Cooking it up with Katie, and this week we are sponsored by Sassy Studio! Our recipe is:

• 
  
  Digi
• 
  
  Yellow
• 
  
  Sparkle

The DT were lucky enough to be able to use a fab image from Sassy Studio, here's my card using this gorgeous image called 'Reading Rachel'. I haven't put a sentiment on as I thought this image would be fab for allsorts of occasions but I'll probably use it for my son's girlfriend as she has a birthday coming up soon.

The image is coloured with promarkers as usual. BP and card from my stash. The pink dotty ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons, the gingham ribbon is again from my stash. The little flowers were made using a punch and a dot of pink stickles in the centre. The larger flowers are made using a digistamp from Crafty Ann's, coloured with promarkers, sprayed with glimmer mists and  with pink glitter in the centres.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

CRAFT: Teenagers

Alota Rubber Stamps: Handmade flowers

Lollipop: Glitter, sparkle and gems

Karber Monthly: Anything goes

Karber Weekly challenge 7: hobbies and leisure

Thanks for calling by today. I hope you're going to cook up somthing with our recipe this week

Claire xx

Cooking it up with Katie, another yummy recipe....

Hi everyone, I hope you are having a good week. I'm counting down to the weekend as work is mega busy this week but hopefully after this week things should settle down and I'll have a bit more time and energy to craft. We have a really scrummy recipe this week at Cooking it up with Katie! We'd like to see your creations with these ingredients:

• 
  
  Autumn
• 
  
  Embossing
• 
  
  Fancy fold

This weeks winner will win a prize from our fab sponsor Fairy Knoll too!!

I found instructions for this 3 steps card by Sheila Weaver  on Joanna Sheens website, now anyone who knows me will tell you that I don't do measuring and fancy folds completely baffle me so this was a real challenge lol. Its actually a lot easier than I first though it would be and I really enjoyed making it, definitely one of the easiest fancy folds I've had a go at so its my new favourite now lol

I began with a brown pearlescent A4 card and followed Sheila's instructions to make the card base.

All the decorated panels were made from a sheet of plain white card. I took a selection of inkadinks, distress inks and glimmer mists and made a big messy puddle on my craft mat and swooshed the white card in it and left it to dry. When it was dry I cut it into pieces and stamped and embossed the squares with various stamps from Elusive Images (from the Tall Trees and Spinney themeplates). The large tree also had lots of leaves embossed in assorted autumn colour eps. the leaves were painted with ink from an autumn coloured kaleidacolour dye inkpad. The sentiment is also from Elusive images and was stamped with sepia versafine and masked to stamp the trees around it.

I distressed the panels with my craft knife and then with distress inks (spiced marmalade and vintage photo) and cut'n'dry foam and added a scrap of copper ribbon and some gems from my stash to finish off.

I'm also entering my autumn card in the following challenges:

Our Creative Corner: Its all about the folds

Paperplay Challenge: colours of Autumn

Allsorts: Colours of Autumn

Alphabet challenge: T is for Trees

The Stampman: Distress

Raise the Bar: Orange, brown and Green

Daring Cardmakers: Masks

Charisma Cardz: Something new or not done before (my something new is the 3 step fold)

Thanks for calling in, I hope you are going to cook up an autumn project with us this week. You never know, when I see your creations I may be brave enough to try another fancy fold lol

Claire xx