Christmas at PanPastel UK

Good morning, eeeek  I'm running a little late this morning as we've got gremlins in the house. Barney has managed to spill his water bowl all over the floor so the kitchen was awash lol. Just got that mopped up and I managed to drop my camera in my coffee - not a good idea. Anyway its time for a new challenge over at PanPastel UK, where we've got a Christmas theme this week. As always our lucky winner will receive a fab PanPastel Starter kit from our generous sponsor Berni at Your Creativity Store.  

For my DT project I've created a little scene using Stampendous stamps and PanPastels and altered a photo frame using Maimeri Light Modelling Paste and more PanPastels (of course lol)

I applied the Maimeri modelling paste and used the triangular comb to create a wood grain texture and left it to dry. Once dry I applied Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna PanPastels and then a coat of MaiMeri Gloss Medium to seal the 'woodgrain' effect.

The main image is a Whiff of Joy stamp, coloured with distress markers. I added a frame of holly leaves made bycolouring white card with various shades of green PanPastel and then stamping lots of holly sprigs (stamp from Molly Bloom) and cutting them out. I finished off by adding red gems for holly berries, some seam binding ribbon and a gorgeous brass snowflake charm.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Creative Moments: anything but a card

Delicious Doodles: anything but a card

Decorate to Celebrate: Christmas

Fab'n'Funky: Vintage Christmas

Incy Wincy: christmas with snowflakes

It's all about the vintage: Christmas

Loves Rubber STamps: Let it snow

Ribbon Carousel: Holiday spirit

The Stamp Man: In the bleak midwinter

Whiff of Joy: Snow

Thanks for visiting and for your lovely comments, I'm off to see if I can dry my camera off now

Claire xx

Die cuts/punches at No Matter Which Challenges

Hi there, wow we were chuffed to bits to see so many gorgeous entries for our first challenge at

 No Matter Which Challenges, can you believe its September already so that means its time for a new challenge. This time we want to see die cuts and/or punches used on your projects. 

Suzanne has arranged some fab sponsors and this months winner certainly won't be disappointed as the prize up for grabs is a free place on one of the courses at My Creative Classroom! I've done quite a few of their courses and they are fab-u-lous :-)

Anyway back to my DT project, I've made a Christmas card (not long now eeeek) using one of my favourite Whiff of Joy stamps, watercoloured with distress markers and die cut with spellbinders. The backing paper was made with moonshadow inks and has a lovely shimmer in real life. I've added some scraps of backing papers from my Christmas box and some crinoline fabric (from Linda at The Funkie Junkie) stamped with a stampers anonymous music score stamp with walnut stain distress ink. You can see the image better in this pic:

I've added lots of die cuts (Marianne poinsettias and fir branch, tattered pine cones and foliage. To finish off I've added cotton lace, ribbon, a tiny brass bell, a little metal corner and some faux pearls in the corners.

I'm entering this one in the following challenges:

A&T Emerald Faeries: Die cuts/punches

Amusing Challenge: anything goes

Crafty Hazelnuts' Christmas Challenge: Christmas bells

(mine is peeping out between the two pine cones)

Digi Doodle Shops best: Vintage

Fairy Tale: anything metal

Love to create: Handmade flowers

Polka Doodles: Flowers

Thanks for popping by, you've got plenty of time to play along with our new challenge as its open until 30th September. Do stop by my teamies blogs as their projects are stunning

Have a good weekend

Claire xx

Pearls and Swirls for CD Sunday

Hi again, i've been loving dusting off my crafting cds during my month as GDT at CD Sunday and rediscovering all the scrummy papers and images on them. For this weeks challenge which is Pearls and Swirls i've used a backing paper from Artylicious 'Peacock Summer Party'.

I don't make many baby cards but its always handy to have a few at the ready as a lot of my son's friends are starting their familes so we'll be needing some baby cards in the next few months. (Fortunately he's not showing signs of getting broody thank goodness as I'm far to young to be a grandma lol). Anyway back to my card, I printed the bp off and distressed the edges with a craft knife and then used a prima mask to add polyfilla which I brushed with mica powder along the botton of the card

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I've used a Whiff of Joy stamp called 'Willow Holding Baby' and coloured her with distress markers before die cutting her with nestiles. I've added a heart shaped doily, lots of paper flowers and some pearly swirls made with cosmic shimmer glue. To finish off i've added some polka dot organza ribbon.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew: Pearls and swirls

Paper Shelter: Pearls and swirls

Totally Stampalicious: Your favourite embellishment (ribbon)

Thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Challenge 6 at Christmas Challenges {with sketches}

Hello folks, can you believe its time for a new challenge at Christmas Challenges {with sketches} already? This week its my turn to design the sketch, its my very first attempt (eeek how scary lol!) so I hope you like it.  

This week our challenge is sponsored by Hobbystempels so pop on over to the challenge blog and check out my sketch and also find out more about the fab prize on offer :-)

I've used a lovely stamp from Whiff of Joy for my card, 'Confirmation Melinda' and coloured her with promarkers (of course she needed a little glamour dust too lol). She's matted on some pale pink glitter card. The bp is from Raspberry Road Designs, they have such scrummy papers and this is one of my favourites. I've added some mistletoe diamonds (stamp from Joanna Sheen) stamped on pink vellum with gilded ivory EP and a stickles border. The flowers are also cut from pink vellum (with a Marianne die) and have faux gems in the centres and lots of glamour dust. The sentiment is from Chocolate Baroque.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Craft your passion: Anything goes

Colour Create: Pink Green and White

Come and Get It: Anything goes

Fussy and Fancy: Christmas in July

Sparkles Forum: One for the girls

Stamps & Fun = Creativity: Christmas card

Sweet Stampin Challenge: Christmas in July

Totally Papercrafts: bling it up

Winter Wonderland: Fairies or Angels

Well thats another one for the Christmas box :-) 

Make sure you call by and check out my teamies gorgeous cards, they've really come up with some stunners again for this challenge

hugs

Claire xx

Hop you feel better soon!

Hi there, woo hoo the sun is shining the sky is blue and even better i've got the day off work :-)

I'm meeting a friend for lunch and home to see if postie has brought any crafty goodies but first I wanted to share this card made using a supercute stamp from Whiff of Joy called 'Wee with broken leg'. One of our friends has gout and I thought with the addition of a big red toe Wee would be perfect to cheer him up! 

I've used the sketch from Whiff of Joy Challenges and papers from GCD Ella Blue pad (although my camera has really bleached the colours) and I added faux stitching with stamps from Chocolate Baroque and walnut stain EP. I coloured Wee with inktense pencils, blended with oms and as i couldn't find my paper stumps I used an old promarker blender pen and it worked a treat. I cut him out and popped him on a kraft tag from The Fruit Pixie that I'd edged with Nellies multi border dies. I also used this die to edge one of the bps and added some string to both.

The sentiment is computer generated, cut with nestie labels 4. I also added some raffia lace and some tiny buttons.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

2 Sisters: Anything goes

Ambers Crafts and stuff: patterned papers

Crafty Emma's Challenge: humour

Paper Pretties: No markers

Sketchy Colours: Pale blue, beige and brown

The Crafty Pad: embossing

The Paper Shelter: anything goes

Totally Papercrafts: One for the boys

Whiff of Joy: Sketch

Thanks for visiting today. i hope you're getting some sunshine too

Claire xx

A new Christmas challenge starting soon...

Hello, it might be May day but I'm getting ahead with another Christmas card, this one is for a new challenge blog starting soon. Christmas Challenges {with sketches} is a fortnightly challenge blog starting with the first challenge on June 1st.  One of my dear blogland buddies Marion and some of her friends are starting the challenge up and they are having a DT call so I thought I'd try out :-)

Of course the DT call is a sketch challenge, I love sketches and really enjoyed making this card. I've used some lovely green and cream papers from Dovecraft's Noel bp pad, all the bps have been distressed with a craft knife, gold UTEE and some rather untidy hand stitching with silky embroidery floss.

The main image is one of my favourite Christmas stamps 'Lizzie with Muff' from Whiff of Joy, she's been stamped and coloured with promarkers and a little green glitter on her dress.  I created a border with some Christmas tapestry stamps and distressed with Shabby Shutters DI. I've added some green and cream tartan ribbon some gold wired netting (actually a Christmas decoration, a huge roll for £1 from the local pound shop. I've added some paper flowers - cream gardenia petals with a gold bead cap and gold dew drops, cream and gold cherry blossoms, gold and ivory rosebuds - they are all sprayed lightly with golden dubloons Moonshadow ink but it doesn't show up too well in the pic. Here's another photo to show the detail a little more.

I made some little holly berried by wiring some garnet miyuki drop beads and added some die cut fir branches. To finish off I added some more pale gold dew drops, I just found that these look amazing if you stick them on with stickles .... loads of sparkle!!

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

Bah Humbug: Christmas pleats and ruffles

Christmas Stamping all year long: use your favourite stamp

Crafts 4 Eternity: anything goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge: use a die cut

The Crazy Challenge: Use 3 different patterned papers

Moving Along with the Times: Anything goes

Our Creative Corner: Embroidery floss

Totally Papercrafts: Glitter

 I really need to get on with my Christmas cards as I've been invited to do a Craft Fair in October. It will be the first time I've done anything like that and its a bit of a scary thought as its by invitation only and the lovely lady organising it has put me down as something rather grand like 'Specialist luxury cards' or something like that LOL.

Thanks for calling by, I hope you've had a good weekend. Its another bank holiday tomorrow so an extra day off work for me :-)

Claire xx

Catching up with some Christmas cards

I've got a little behind with my Bah Humbugging again, I've been making Christmas cards but my internet has been so slow I haven't got round to blogging them. Anyway here's my entry for this weeks challenge at Bah Humbug where the theme is Candy Canes

I've used the supercute Lizzie with Liquorice stamp from Whiff of Joy, coloured with promarkers and bits of card and paper from my scrap box. The hexagonal base card is from Joanna Sheen, I have big pack of lovely shaped cards that i hardly ever use so i decided to dust them off and use them.. I've also included a couple of circles for Hazels challenge over at the Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge

This would have been my card for the Christmas Trees challenge at BaH Humbug challenge just to prove i made it lol. Its a shameless copy of a design Barbara Gray made on Create and Craft a while ago, I loved the scen she created but didn't have the right stamps so i've used some of my favourite stamps from Chocolate Baroque for this card (New England Winter plate). The cottage and trees are stamped with black soot distress ink, I masked the moon and dusted more black soot all round the image with a shaving brush and then used a make up sponge to intensify the colour round the edges. The sentiment is from Clarity Stamps.

I'm entering this one in the challenge from Christmas Inspirations where the theme is make a Christmas scene.

Thanks for popping by today

Claire xx

Lizzie with Licorice

Hi, its a really wet and miserable day here today and of course Monday is never my favourite day of the week lol. I wanted to share this card I made over the weekend using a Whiff of Joy stamp 'Lizzie with Licorice' that I got from Jazzlins Designs.

I really had loads of messy fun making this card, I decided to use the sketch from the latest Whiff of Joy Challenge and a monochomatic colour scheme for a change. I thought Lizzie would look great in these sepia tones as she has such a cute vintage look.

I made the bp by using vintage photo DI and cosmic shimmer bronze blush spray ink on plain white card. It has a lovely shimmer but the camera hasn't picked it up. Once it was dry I stamped Paula Pascual snowflakes and embossed with Antique linen distress EP. I coloured the doiley and lace with antique linen and vintage photo distress inks.

The image is painted with vintage photo distress ink and the snowflakes stamped are stamped and embossed with vintage photo DI and antique linen EP. I made the snowflakes using the scraps of leftover card and Marianne snowflake dies, they are glittered with clear holographic glitter and the centres are clear gems coloured with alcohol ink. To finish off I added some coffee coloured grosgrain ribbon and a little candy cane charm (peeping from under the snowflakes)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Everybody art challenge: Monochromatic brown

Stampavie and more : Monochromatic

Whiff of Joy: sketch

Simon Says: Sparkle

FRosted Designs: Distressing

Fussy and Fancy: Christmas but no red/green

Totally Gorjuss: Christmas, not traditional colours

Crafty Emma's Challenges:  Lovely Lace

Allsorts: Lace, ribbon, Charm

Thanks for calling by, better get back to work now I  suppose ;-)

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

Willow in Pink

Monday again and back to work for me but I wanted to share a card I made over the weekend using 'Willow with Lantern' a gorgoeus Whiff of Joy stamp I got recently from Jazzlins Designs

I've coloured Willow with promarkers (lots of Vintage Pink and warm grey to try and get an old rose colour for her dress) and cut her out before layering her on to a background made by inking the sky and adding polar white flowersoft and judikins prisma glitter for the snow. OK, i confess I didn't intend to cut her out, I coloured her and added a glow around the lantern and then had a di-sa-ster!! I decided to use my blender pen around the 'glow' and forgot I'd been using it on black and left an enormous black blob so I had to cut her out lol.

The pink backgrounds are made using a Tim Holtz snowflake stamp and versamark on glossy card and then brayering over the top with Soothing Sunset B&J ink and memento cocoa brown ink. The other layers are distressed with a craft knife and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The sentiment is also a stamp from Whiff of Joy and the gems are from my stash. (The two pink panels are the same colour in real life honest, the light is really reflecting off the left one and so it looks a totally different colour lol)

I'm entering Willow in the following challenges:

Whiff of Joy: Distressing

Passion for Promarkers: Pink or Purple Christmas card

Craft Your Passion: Glitter and sparkle

Sentimental Sundays: Distressing

Paper Sundaes: Natural Woman

The Crafty Pad: Christmas

Bah Humbug: Elegance (Willow in her lovely dress)

Fussy and Fancy Friday: Winter Wonderland

ABC Christmas Challenge : Sketch and 2 'v's (pushing it a bit, mine are vintage pink promarker and vintage photo distress ink)

Thanks for visiting today.

Claire xx

Vintage Lizzie and exciting news!!

Hi everyone, I have some very exciting news!! Linda from Jazzlins Designs has asked me to be a member of her DT!! How chuffed am I? Linda is a really wonderful person, and has the most fab selection of goodies in her shop. I've been ordering from Linda by mail order and I'm so happy with her prices and fantastic service. Jazzlins webshop will be opening soon too :-)

I've used Lizzie with Muff from Whiff of Joy and the beautiful Designer Doiley Marianne die (both from Jazzlins) as my starting point for this card. Lizzie is coloured with promarkers and cut out. The bp is one I made with Elusive images snowflake stamps - i stamped them with a sparkly EP onto cream card and then sprayed with some aqua spray ink. It looked a bit drab so I gave it a generous blast of gold firework ink to bling it up.

I used the Marianne die to cut and emboss 3 doileys from cream pearl card and then inked them with an aqua dye inkpad. The cream ribbon is from my stash and the gorgeous flowers, heart shaped pearls and sprays of pearls are from Jazzlins. The flowers take ink beautifully so the white ones can be matched to what ever ink/markers you've used. The sentiment is from Elusive images, cut out with a nestie and again inked with aqua ink around the edges.

I'm entering Lizzie in the following challenges:

Charisma Cardz: Christmas Crafting

Passion 4 Promarkers: Vintage/Shabby chic

I love promarkers: Pearls and swirls

Daring Cardmakers: Christmas card

Stamptacular: Layer it on (use at least 5 layers - bp, ribbon, 3 doileys and Lizzie!!)

Lots to do: Vintage

There's Magic in the Air: Christmas card with snowflakes

Thanks for calling by today,

Claire xx