Don't miss Graph'It Markers on C&C

Good morning folks, just a quick heads up that the lovely Nikky Hall is on C&C tomorrow with lots of lovely Graph'It markers, the show is on at 11am so make sure you grab a cuppa and book your place on the sofa as Nikky has got some amazing demos lined up and of course lots of gorgeous samples to share.

This card is one of my samples for the show, the image is from Crafts and Me, coloured with my beloved Graph'Its and die cut with nesties. The background was made with my graph'it markers, a pronty 'leaves' mask and a spritz of Mix'it spray. Here's another pic of the image:

I've added red lace and dark green seam binding with a little toadstool charm and lots of flowers from my stash and to finish off some die cut butterflies with little pearls for their bodies. 

I'm entering this one in the following challenges:

Artistic Inspirations: anything goes

Bearly Mine: anything goes

Crafts and Me: anything goes

Everybody Art challenge: No Christmas cards

Fan-tastic Tuesday: punches and dies

LEJ Designs: Anything goes

Use your stuff: Ribbon

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

Claire xx

Crafts and Me

Good morning my lovelies, brrrrrrr its a bit nippy here today time to dust the winter woolies and wellies off I think. Today's card features one of the scrummy digis from Crafts and Me, this one is called Calli Girl by Hanna Lynn

I've coloured the image with Graph'It Markers and used a gorgeous bp from Craftwork cards, I've added some black seambinding ribbon, some pretty lace and little pearls in the corners. To finish off I've added a die cut butterfly and a little sentiment too.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Brown Sugar: anything goes

A Creative Romance: pink

Colour Me Creative: anything goes

Crafts and Me: use a Hannah Lynn image

Crafty Ribbons: butterflies

Cut it up: think pink

Paper Creators: dies/punches

Totally gorjuss: wings and things

thanks for visiting today, hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

Embossing at PanPastel UK

Good morning and a big warm welcome to my new followers, its lovely to 'meet' you. As its Sunday morning, we've got a new challenge at PanPastel UK, sponsored as always by the lovely Berni from Your Creativity Store and this week our theme is 'Embossing'. You don't have to use PanPastels to enter but of course we love it when you do. 

I do a lot of heat embossing but rarely use my embossing folders so I thought this weeks challenge was a great opportunity to dust them off and have a play. I've used an image from Crafts and Me, she's been coloured with Graph'It markers. I love this image, you can see her better in this pic:

I've created a frame for her with card that I'd embossed with my cuttlebug and coloured with PanPastels (I used Ultramarine Blue, Ultramarine blue tint and various shades of brown). I cut some bits out and layered them up with 3d foam. To finish off i've added a seam binding button, a bow and some bakers twine.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafts and Me: anything goes

Creative Craft Challenges :blue and brown

Milkcoffee: emboss it

Ruby's Rainbow: layers

Top Tip Tuesday:spooled items

I'm off to tackle the ironing now before it gets too hot, have a great day and thanks so much for popping by 

Claire xx

My Favourite Mask at SplodgeAway

Hello again, i'm back with my second card of the day, this time its for SplodgeAway who are featuring our Favourite Masks this week. Its so difficult to choose a favourite mask, they are all gorgeous so I took the easy option and picked one of  the masks I use most, the Fancier Lattice Mask (you can find it here)

I've made an easel card (why can't I take pics of easel cards?? They always look a really weird angle for some reason) Anyway I've applied Seedless Preserves distress ink to the mask and embossed it with my Grand Calibur, I've found that if you apply the ink with a brayer from the SplodgeAway Mat it gives a much more subtle finish. The image is from Crafts and Me, and the sentiment is from Chocolate Baroque.

I've added some ribbon, paper flowers a little lock charm and some pretty gems to finish off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Make my Monday: Purple/neutral

Quirky Crafts: more than one fold

The Stamp Spot: Feminine Creations

Tuesday throwdown: Fantasy

If you've got a minute pop over to the SplodgeAway blog and my lovely teamies are showcasing all their favourite masks this week and as always they have made some stunning projects

Thanks for popping by today, its lovely to see you :-)

Claire xx

Use a digi at PanPastel UK

Hi there, my second post of the day and there will be another one in a little while too :-)

This is my DT card for PanPastel UK where our theme this week is 'Use a digi'. I've used this beautiful mermaid image from Crafts and Me called 'Resting on the horizon' for my card.

I printed the image and masked the mermaid with Eclipse masking tape before adding the background with PanPastels. I used white. ultramarine blue and the tint to create the sky and then used a pencil eraser to rub out a cloud shape. To give the cloud a bit of dimension I added some paynes grey panpastel and a tiny bit of yellow and magenta pans and again blended with white. I used some torn copier paper for a mask and added the hills using yellow green shade panpastel and then added the beach by blending browns and yellows. Lastly I added the sea using blues and turquoise pans, creating the waves with a pencil eraser and a bit of glamour dust. While the image was still masked off I used an Indigo Blue stamp to add the grasses with distress inks and drew in a few darker grasses with coloursoft pencils.  I fixed the background with hairspray before removing the mask and colouring the image with promarkers.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Colour me creative: lots of hair

Di's digi designs:  Its summertime

Do you stack up? : blue sky and clouds

Emergency Crafters: Summer sun

Jellypark: Waving

Joanna Sheen Challenge: Summer daze

Lexi's creations: at the beach

Totally Papercrafts: use a digi

Don't forget that our lucky winner will receive a fab PanPastel starter set from our sponsor Berni at Your Creativity Store so don't miss out on a chance to win

Thanks for popping by today

Claire xx

Lady of Opal

Hi there, well summer looks to have arrived as its a lovely sunny morning for a change, shame i've got to go to work . Anyway, todays card features a 'Lady of Opal' by Sarah Burrier from Crafts and Me. Between printer problems and a sore neck its been ages since I coloured a digi stamp  so I really enjoyed making this card. Colouring is soooooo relaxing isn't it?

The image is coloured with promarkers and layerd up one some Vintage shabby paper with a bit of lace and velvet ribbon. I've added some paper flowers and made some faux pearl swirls with a viva pearl pen. I coloured the little roses with blue ink but for some reason they look green in the pic. You can see the image a bit better in this pic:

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafts and Me: Pearls and roses

Digi Makeover: Things with wings

Papercrafting Journey: Hand coloured image

Paper Shelter: anything goes

Thanks for popping by today, hope you're getting some sunshine too

Claire xx

Twas the night before Christmas

I don't know about you but I always used to spend ages on Christmas eve peeping through the curtains looking up at the sky for a glimpse of Santa. When I saw the challenge at Christmas Card Challenges was Twas the night before Christmas, my first thought was the excitement of watching for Santa through the window which fits perfectly with this weeks challenge from Bah Humbug which is acetate

The main image is a gorgeous digistamp from Crafts and Me called 'Stargazer', she is such a cutie with that little fairy sat on her head :-) I've coloured her with promarkers and  she has a little glamour dust on her nightie (and the fairy's wings). I cut a square aperture out of a 6x6 card blank and backed it with acetate. I made the background by masking the moon and brayering the night sky with various shades of blue memento ink and also a little black to darken the edges. I stamped the Santa and Sleigh with black versafine and added the snowflakes with a white gel pen. The sentiment is computer generated.

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

ABC Christmas: N is for 'no nonsense'

Celebrate the Occasion: Christmas in July (no red)

Crafts and me: favourite stamp or image

Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight challenge: masking (I masked the moon and brayered the background over the top)

Flutter by Wednesday: open challenge with butterfly angel or fairy

I love Promarkers: Clean and simple

The House that Stamps Built: Christmas or holiday card

Sweet Stamps: Christmas in July

Thats another one for the Christmas card box :-)

Thanks for calling by today

Claire xx

Get ready for Christmas at Christmas Challenges {with sketches}

Where on earth is this year going? I can't believe it was the longest day yesterday ... before we know it Christmas will be here and its never to early to start your Christmas cards. Our latest challenge at Christmas Challenges {with sketches] is a great way to get ahead with your Christmas cards and this time we have a gorgeous sketch from my lovely teamie Nicole to work with. I really enjoyed making my DT card which feature a really stunning digi stamp from Crafts and Me called 'Twiglight'. Its not necessarily a Christmas image but I thought she would be a lovely Christmas angel.

Before I go on the card deets, I'm sure you want to know about our fab sponsor for this fortnights challenge, 'Stempelstudio'  are sponsoring our latest challenge so pop over to the challenge blog and find out about the great prize and check out Nicole's gorgeous sketch too :-)

I've coloured Twilight with promarkers and added glamour dust to her wings and the trim on her dress. After cutting her out carefully, i've matted her onto a pretty doiley. The bp is from Raspberry Road Designs and I've added 3 parchment squares stamped with a Joanna Sheen doiley stamp and edged with stickles. The sentiment is also from Joanna Sheen. To finish the card off I've added some faux pearls, white seam binding ribbon, a die cut snowflake and a rose from WOC.  I've struggled to get a decent pic but this photo shows a little more of the detail and is a truer colour than the larger pic. 

I'm entering Twilight (oops I keep typing Twiglet for some reason lol) in the following challenges:

Craft Your days away: Monochrome

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge:  christmas wings

Corrosive Challenge: Ribbons and bows

Delicious Doodles: things that flutter

Hooked on Craft : Anything goes

Jingle Belles: Bundled up (3 or more layers)

Sweet Stampin: Things with wings

One Stitch at a Time: Things with wings

Polkadoodles: All of a flutter

Sentimental Sundays: Summery or Sparkly and shimmery 

Thanks for visiting today :-)

Claire xx