Kingfisher from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, today's card features the very handsome Kingfisher from Kingfisher Song. from Chocolate Baroque I love these stamps and had lots of fun making scenic cards but I couldn't resist giving him a crown for this card lol.

I took a pile of gelli plate backgrounds and chose one for Mr Kingfisher, I also stamped him on another background and added some colour with sparkle pens. I stamped the branch on the gelli plate background and doodles a border with a black gel pen. I cut the kingfisher out and layered him up on 3d foam pads and then matted and layered with white and black card. I took an 8x8 card black and some sequin waste and added some stencilling to the base card using coordinating distress inks. 

I added the sentiment and a few black sequins and as a finishing touch I give him a chipboard crown that was embossed with black embossing powder.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Animal Friends: no designer paper

Creative Fingers: Anything goes

Let's Craft and Create: Things with wings

Rubber Dance Art Stamps: Layers

Simon Says Stamp: Anything goes

Thanks for visiting today, hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

Floral at Eclectic Ellapu

Good morning folks, can you believe it's the 1st August already? That means it's time for our new challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu and this month the pink team have a theme of 'Floral' so there's lots of scope to play along. My teamies have got loads of inspiration for you so it's well worth a visit to the challenge blog if you have time.

I've used one of the beautiful stamps from Punky Flowers by Chocolate Baroque to make this card. I stamped the image, embossed with silver EP and painted with metallic paints. The background was made on my gelli plate, with a leftover background and a little added stencilling. I saw the lovely Lesley Wharton demonstrate this technique on the Craft Channel a few weeks ago and it's really fun, plus it cleans your gelli plate too so that's a bonus. You leave the paint until it's completely dry and then use parcel tape to life the background from the gelli plate, a genius idea and I love the effect.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts: A touch of sparkle

Creative Fingers: Anything goes

Creative Knockouts: Anything goes

Get Creative: Lots of blue

Left of Centre: Quirky/weird

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

Claire xx

Make your own background at Fashionable Stamping Challenges

Good morning folks, we've got a new challenge starting at Fashionable Stamping Challenges and this time around out theme is 'Make your own Background'. As usual we're sponsored by Flonzcraft and our lucky winner will receive a $20 voucher to spend! Don't forget though we are a stamping challenge so no digi stamps are allowed.

For my card I've used some new stamps and embossing powders from Chloe's collection, I love these EPs as they are soooooooo sparkly! 

I began with a gelli plate background, I love using dye inks on my gelli plate, they give a really different effect as the ink goes into teeny tiny beads. Once I'd inked the gelli plate us with assorted shades of green distress ink I stamped with a pine bough stamp to remove some of the ink before I took a print on white card. Next I used the same stamp and Pine Needles distress ink to to add some more foliage to the background. Then I repeated this but using versamark and WOW Icicle EP for some frosty sparkle.

I stamped the images (large and small snow flower) on white pearl card and embossed with Icicle EP and layered them over the snowflakes from the same set that I stamped on acetate and embossed with a Green Embossing tinsel from my stash. I added some of Chloe's bling stones to the centre of the flowers. The sentiment in the centre was embossed with Mercury Glass EP and I added some Pine Needles DI to the large 'Believe'.

To finish off I've added lace, sparkly white ribbon and some faux pearls.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Card Mania: Christmas

Crafty Catz: Sparkle and shine

 Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas:  anything goes Christmas

Live and Love Crafts: sparkle

Natalie and Amy's Challenge: Christmas

Really Reasonable Ribbon: Sparkle and Shine

Southern Ridge Trading Company: Christmas words

Through the Purple Haze: Christmas

Thanks so much for popping by today

Claire xx

Flower Power at Graph'It Colouring Challenge

Good morning folks, Friday at last and its challenge time at Graph'It Colouring Challenge!! This time around our theme is 'Flower Power' and we've got fabby prizes up for grabs too. Our sponsor this time around is Sweet Pea Stamps and with so many gorgeous images you don't want to miss out. You don't have to use Graph'It markers to enter either, you can colour your image with anything you fancy and still be in with a chance of winning.

I've used this beautiful image: Joanne Schempp's Daisy Fairy for my card. I love colouring with my Graph'its, they blend so beautifully. You can find a full list of the colours I used over on the challenge blog.

I've used a gelli plate background and added ribbon, lace, flowers, buttons and a little metal butterfly painted with white gesso. 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Artistic Inspirations: anything goes, twist Flowers

As you like it: favourite markers and why

(I'm a colouring addict and I adore my Graph'It markers, the colours are so vibrant and they blend beautifully. I particularly love the Blending palette as you can mix your own colours and blends.)

Card Mania: flowers

Crafty Cardmakers: wings

Dream Valley: lace, ribbon, flowers

Inky Impressions: Spring is in the air

Papertake Weekly: anything goes

Penny's Paper Crafty: anything goes 

Sweet Stamps: flowers

Through the purple haze: anything goes

Well i'd better go and earn some pennies so thanks for popping by and hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

Anything goes at Fashionable Stamping challenges

Hello folks, the last two weeks have whizzed past in the blink of an eye and its time for a new challenge at Fashionable Stamping challenges already! This time around our theme is 'Anything goes' although we are a stamping challenge so we do want to see stamping as the main focus of your project. As always there's a fab prize of a $20 voucher from our regular sponsor Flonzcraft up for grabs so I hope you're going to ink up those stamps and play along.

My card was inspired by my lovely Chocolate Baroque teamie Judith (pop over to her blog here to check out her beautiful artwork) who had been playing with inks and her gelli plate. I can never resist a new technique so I got out my Memento Inks, dusted off my gelli plate and brayer and got to work. I used shades of green ink initially, brayered the ink on for even coverage. I then created some texture with a sheet of crumpled copier paper. I stamped the leaves (from Heartfelt Creations) using Memento Inks in Rhubarb Stalk, Tangelo, Canteloupe,, Rich Cocoa and Bamboo Leaves and then took a print. I trimmed the paper and inked the edges with more Bamboo Leaves memento ink and matted it on kraft and then dark brown cardstock. The sentiment is also from Heartfelt Creations,, stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa, to finish off i've added seam binding, string, a button and a twine bow.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts: autumn

Crafting by Design: anything goes

Kitty Bee Designs: fall colours

Love to create: ribbon

That's Crafty : Keep it simple

The Vintage Challenge: autumn

Through the Craft Room door: anything goes

If you've got time, do check out all the gorgeous projects from my lovely talented DT sisters.

Thanks so much for popping by today

Claire xx

Hills and Mountains at Craft a Scene

Good afternoon, hope you're having a nice relaxing Sunday. I'm back with another post, this time for our new challenge over at Craft a Scene where our theme is 'Hills and Mountains'. I couldn't resist playing with my gelli plate acrylic paints and a palette knife to create a snowy scene, after all its never too early to start those Christmas cards lol.

I used the palette knife to apply white  paint to my gelli plate, creating the hills and mountains as I went along, I used a sponge to add some pearl acrylic paint to the sky are to create some clouds. Now if you have a go at this technique don't worry if it looks absolutely pants when you pull your print from the gelli plate lol, you just have to go with it and get inking and it will start to look better (honest). Once I'd pulled my print I masked the moon and inked in the sky using Weathered Wood, Stormy Sky and a little chipped sapphire distress ink. I used the same shades to add some depth to the gelli plate scene and then got to work with some white gesso, adding a bit of texture to the hills and mountains. 

I used stamps from Sheena Douglass, Stampendous and Inkylicious and added a little colour to the stamped images with Graph'It markers.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts: no flowers

Completely Christmas: anything goes

fab'n'funky: Fantasy

Jingle Belles: spirit of Christmas past

Papertake Weekly: anything goes

Sparkles Forum Christmas: inspired by a Carol 

(walking in a winter wonderland)

Thanks so much for visiting today

Claire xx

Happiness with Dutch Doobadoo

Good morning my lovelies, hopefully blogger will play nicely and post this as I should be on my way to Leeds for a day training so I've got to leave home at the crack of dawn. I always look forward to training as its lovely to get away from the office and meet new peeps but you can guarantee that the train will break down or I'll get lost and spend hours wandering aimlessly around lol. Anyway enough rambling on, my project today is a little wall hanging was made with lots of Dutch Doobadoo goodies. There's still lots of time to enter the 'Sweet as Honey' challenge at We Do Doobadoo so don't miss out on a chance to win some gorgeous goodies!!

These pics are even worse than usual as this was one of some samples I made for a recent show and I took the pics at some unearthly hour using my ottlite so thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it lol. I began by painting the MDF tryptich panels with Maimeri Gesso and edging them with Treasure gold. I used the flower swirl mask with my gelli plate to create the background, I didn't use paint but just Maimeri iridescent paste and took the print one some card that I'd coloured with shades of yellow PanPastels.

I've used Dutch Doobadoo lasercuts: buttons, butterflies, corners and also added some of my favourite Softboard Honeycomb. The sentiment stamps are from Paper Artsy and the main image is from Crafty Individuals, coloured with Graph'It markers.

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I've added some bakers twine to the little buttons and then used lots of yellow gingham ribbon to string the pieces on their sides to create the wall hanging.

I'm entering this in the following challenges

All crafts: anything but a card

Come and Get it: Easter or Spring

Crafts and Me: anything goes

Sentimental Sunday: flowery Spring

The Craft Garden: pastel colours

Whoopsi Daisy: welcome Spring

Thanks for popping by today

Claire xx

Gelli landscape

Good morning, todays project is another sample made with this months gorgeous new releases from Chocolate Baroque. I was inspired to have a play with my Gelli plate after seeing Glenda's fabulous landscape project a couple of weeks ago (you can see it here)

I actually made a whole batch of backgrounds using this techniques and this was one that I wasn't really keen on until I added some distress ink. I began by using a sponge to apply some pearlesent white acrylic paint on to my gelli plate with a sponge, I then applied bronze acrylic paint with a palette knife to create the landscape. I pulled of several prints and once they were dry I added some distress inks. This one used Weathered Wood over the sky and vintage photo over the sand.
Next I stamped the lanterns (from Tranquility and Serenity) with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and added colour with Graph'It Markers. I stamped the tree in with black archival ink and then added the sentiment (from Artistic Affirmations) and matted the scene on white and then grey cardstock.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
A Creative Romance: Something new (new stamps and new technique)
CRAFT: anything goes
Crafting by Designs: anything goes
Simon Says Stamp: something new (stamps and technique)
Stempel Sonne: anything goes
Word Art Wednesday: anything goes

Well I'm away to watch for postie, Glenda has a sale on at Chocolate Baroque with some amazing bargains and I'm waiting for postie to bring my order!!
Thanks so much for popping by today
Claire xx

All about the men at SplodgeAway

Good morning folks, how's your week going? Today's card is for our 'All about the men' week at SplodgeAway, pop over and have a peek at all the gorgeous projects from my talented teamies.

I had a play with my gelli plate and two SplodgeAway masks, Complex Frame and the man silhouette from the Altered Art Kit (you can find them both here). I made quite a few prints using some gorgeous metallic Maimeri Acrylic paints - this began as one of the prints. The paint acts as a resist  so I used distress inks and a spritz of water on my SplodgeAway mat to make an inky background and swooshed my print through it. I really liked this effect although its a bit camera shy so I didn't want to cover it up, I just added some twine, seam binding ribbon, a button , twine and a little key charm.

I'm entering this one in the following challenges:

Craft room Challenge: stencil/mask

A Creative Romance: add metal

Craftitude: anything goes/use twine or string

Crafty Hands: anything goes

Rhedd and Rosie's: anything goes

Simon says stamp: anything goes

thanks so much for taking the time to visit today, 

Claire xx

Exciting times in PanPastel Land!

Oh my goodness, its all happening over at PanPastel UK, , in fact Berni is stocking so many fab new products we're having a new name 'Premium Craft Brands'. We've got a whole host of talented new teamies joining us and a gorgeous new look blog  too!!! Of course we've got a new challenge with a fab prize from the lovely Berni at Premium Craft Brands too so grab a cuppa and pop over to find out all about it.  Before you go, my DT project is a little card and gift box made using PanPastels (of course lol)

I've recently treated myself to a gelli plate so I decided to have a play. I applied Magenta Tint PanPastel  to some white card and then had some messy fun with Maimeri Acrylic paint and a gorgeous pronty mask create some backgrounds. I made a little card, I didn't want to cover the background up so I simply stamped the sentiment and added some brown seam binding and a rose made with tattered florals and more magenta tint PanPastel:

The little gift box is actually a PanPastel box, painted with acrylic paint and then covered with pieces of my gelli plate background. I added another rose and more ribbon to finish off.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Altered Eclectics : Alter something

Chocolate Coffee and Cards: flowers

Crafting Cafe: altered art

Everybody Art: Roses

Inky chicks: pretty in pink

Kitty Bee Designs: flowers

Thanks so much for visiting today, 

Claire xx

Make it Blue at PanPastel UK

Good morning folks, hope you're having a good weekend so far. After a totally crappy week at work I haven't done much at all but hopefully I'll motivate myself to make the most of my day off today. Anyway we've got a new challenge at PanPastel UK and this week our theme is 'Make it Blue', as always there's a fab prize up for grabs from Premium Art Brands and we've got a DT call at the minute so pop over to the challenge blog to find out all about it.

I've been playing with some fab new products to make this card. Premium Art Brands have some fab new goodies on the way. I've used the lovely Winter Spruce stamps for the background, I began with Ultramarine Blue tint PanPastel and stamped the spruce tree with Versamark before applying burnt sienna PanPastel  over the top. The owl is a stamp from Chocolate Baroque, coloured with Graph'It markers. I used my Gelli plate with one of the new masks to create the cute owl background. I'm pretty new to the gelli plate and so far I love it, great fun! For this print I used some Ultramarine Blue PanPastel on the card and then some scrumy new Maimeri acrylic paint. I've used kraft card for matting and layering and just added some brown seambinding ribbon to finish off

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Bloggers: backgrounds

Cards and More: anything goes

Craftin Boutique: anything with an owl

Crafty Creations: kraft

Thanks so much for popping by today

Claire xx

Abstraktz masks at SplodgeAway

Good morning, this week at SplodgeAway, the DT are showcasing the fab Abstraktz masks. Do pop over to the SplodgeAway Blog, my teamies have some gorgeous projects to share and also you don't want to miss some top secret stuff that will be coming soon!! Anyway back to business, these masks are so versatile, real 'worker' masks as you can use them for all kinds of different projects. 

For this card I made a background using one of the masks, acrylic paint and my gelli plate. The stamp is from Indigo Blue,stamped on cream card and distressed with Victorian Velvet and tea dye distress ink. I've used kraft card for matting and layering and added some lace, ribbon, a paper flower and a little heart charm with some twine. To finish off I've done some faux stitching around the edges and some little pink pearls in the corners.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Brown Sugar: anything goes

Card Crafters Circle: ribbon and lace

Crafting by Design: celebrate women

One Stop crafts: pastel colours

Sweet Stampin: going krafty

Sweet Stamps:silhouettes

Tok Bobok:vintage

Thanks for visiting today and for your comments, they always brighten my day

Claire xx