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

Lets get inky with the Rainbow Lady

Hi there, I had loads of fun making my DT card for this weeks challenge at Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog as out theme is 'Let's get inky' and there's nothing better than some good old messy crafting lol.

The stamps are all from 'Huck Finn' a gorgeous stamp sheet from Artistic Outpost, I love these stamps!! I stamped and masked the two boys and then stamped in the ship and added some colour with distress markers and then cut out and splashed with moonshadow inks in Jolly Roger Red and Treasure Island Aqua, love the names they are perfect for these stamps. I've had these inks for years but don't use them very often, I'd forgotten how yummy and shimmery they are.

 I've layered the image up over some torn kraft glassine, some copier paper coloured with the same inks and scrunched up and some recycled brown paper. The sentiment is from the same set of stamps. To finish off I've added some brads, a bottle cap (as usual kindly donated by my son, this one reads 'Desperados' which I thought would be just the job for our two little adventurers lol) and a nautical knot.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Artistic Outpost: May Referral challenge 'Travel'

Clear it out: Use brads

Creative Craft Challenge: Distressing

Lollipop Crafts: Just for him

Simon Says Stamp and Show: Anything goes

I hope you're having a good week, we're sooooo busy at work at the minute my feet don't seem to touch ground but hopefully I'll get to catch up on some blog hopping and bunker up in my craft room for a few hours at the weekend

Have a good day and thanks for popping by

Claire xx

Challenge 14 at Christmas Challenges {with sketches}

Hi there, its time for a new challenge at Christmas Challenges {with sketches} already and our sketch this time around if from my lovely teamie Wilma. I've rotated the sketch as I wanted to use the text border that matched the dps I've used. Sorry about the awful pic, the dark foggy days combined with my dreadful photography skills are to blame lol.

Our sponsor this time around is Michelle Perkett, Michelle is such a talented artist and her digi stamps are just gorgeous so I'm sure you won't want to miss out on the chance to win. I've used one of Michelle's Christmas images, isn't she adorable? She is called Tia and you can find her in Michelle's Etsy Store

I've coloured Tia with promarkers and added ivory flowersoft and glamour dust  for the trim on her dress, hat and muff. The papers are all from GCD Joyful Peace paper pad, distressed with a kraft knife. The flowers are ivory paper flowers from my stash, coloured with Jolly Roger Red moonglow ink spray. I've used Marianne die to cut the leaves and swirls. To finish off I've added a faux gems and a  fab postage stamp sentiment from Whimsy Stamps, I love these stamps and they have a matching die too.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Daisy Doodles: Christmas plus use a digi

Digi Doodle Shops Best: red and green

Digital Tuesday: sparkle and shine

Everybody Art Challenge:Christmas cards

Paper Creations Ink: christmas

Papertake Weekly: Christmas crackers

Pollycraft: Christmas fun

Shopping our Stash: christmas or winter

Whoopsi Daisy: anything goes at Christmas

Winter Wonderland: What a cutie

Thanks for popping by today. 

Claire xx

Nautical but nice (can you tell I was struggling for a title for this post lol)

I don't often make cards for men but its my lovely Father in Law's birthday coming up so I thought i'd better get cracking. I've used my all time favourite stamp sheet for mens cards to make this card, its the Nautical sheet from The Stamp Man and I never get fed up of it (the men in the family probably do though as I use it again and again, lol). I thought this would be a good card for the latest challenge from the Stamp Man Challenge Blog where the theme is distressing.

I love to make a card from scratch and get inky making backgrounds so i had a lot of fun making this card. All the stamps are from the Aspects of Design Nautical stamp plate. I stamped the large ship/map image randomly on white card with stormy skies distress ink and then did the same with the ship stamp using Tumbled glass distress ink. I sprayed the background lightly with Moonshadow inks in Bucaneer Bay Blue and Golden Dubloons.  I repeated this on the back of the card and then cut an X where the background would lie over the main image. I distressed all the edges with tumbled glass and vintage photo DI and attached the folded back corners with little brads.

The main image was stamped and embossed with walnut stain distress EP on a left over scrap of the background card. I painted the image with a little Bucanner Bay blue and Golden Dubloons inks and attached the background over the image.

The sentiment is stamped and embossed with the same EP. The little brass button is from my stash and the hinges are grungeboard basics die cuts coloured with vintage photo DI and more Golden Dubloons Moonshadow Ink.

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

Allsorts: Male/boy

Aly's Sunday Challenge: for the guys

C.R.A.F.T challenge: Martial arts/sport - I hope sailing counts :-)

Crafty Sentiments: Vintage

Paper Sundaes: Distressing

One Stop Crafty Challenge :More than one fold

Pixie Dust:  Buttons

Sweet Stampin Challenge: Clear as mud (Brown + 1 other colour, I chose blue)

Simon Says Stamp: Bingo challenge (my line is brads, button, die cut)

Thanks for visiting today,

Claire xx

Autumn leaves

Hi I've had a lovely day so far and managed to get a couple of cards finished. Autumn is really here in my little corner of the UK, the trees are beautiful colours and as its been breezy today the leaves are falling quickly now. I've made another Autumn themed card, I love these colours and really enjoyed making this card. The main image is 'Earth' by Michelle Perkett, you can find Earth in Michelle's Etsy Store. This weeks challenge over at Michelle Perkett Studio is 'Autumn Leaves' so I thought this image would be perfect.

Its hard to see on the photo but I have used an acetate overlay behind the main image as i've used some pressed leaves as part of the background. The BP is from the gorgeous Artylicious CD, 'Essence of Nature'. I printed out the bp in an orange hue and distressed it with shabby shutters DI to add some green. I added a sheet of double sided clear film to the bp and attached the pressed leaves to the film and then popped a sheet of acetate over the top  to protect the leaves as they are pretty delicate.

Earth is coloured with promarkers and edged with a copper pentouch pen (as is the background and the sentiment). I made a couple of stitched ribbon flowers with pearls for the centres (the pearls are coloured with caramel alcohol ink) and added some punched vellum fern leaves. The leaves are coloured with brilliance ink pads (rust and green) and then sprayed with moonshadow mists. Mica sprays seem to make the vellum kind of crinkly which is perfect for autumn leaves. The sentiment and little flower head border are from Hero Arts,  stamped on a scrap of card coloured with the overspill from making the leaves.

I'm entering Earth in the following challenges:

Sunday Stamper: Green

OSAAT: All Celebrations (I chose birthday)

Sketch and Stash: Sketch although I used the pressed leaves instead of the two panels accross the card so please delete my entry if it doesn't count)

Double Dutch: Fall and embellishments from nature

City Crafter: Autumn leaves falling

Digital Tuesday: Use a non craft item (hope pressed leaves count!)

Simon Says: Punch em

Just add ink: Just add birthdays

Cute Card Thursday: so transparent

Polkadoodles: Autumn

Thanks for visiting today, I really ought to go and tidy my craftroom as i've been doing some seriously messy crafting and as usual have stuff everywhere . The only thing is if i tidy up, i won't be able to find anything so maybe I'll leave it and park myself on the sofa ready for Strictly and X factor. I do lead an exciting life lol

Claire xx

The Stampman challenge ... music

This set of stamps was one of the first I got from the Stampman and I still love them. I've used lots of inky techniques to make this card for the latest challenge from The Stampman challenge which is 'Musical'

The base card is stamped with text using vinage photo DI. The next layer is some card which was 'sloshed' with loads of moonshadow inks in golden dubloon and ethereal emerald (the MOST gorgeous colour isn't it??). The next layer is vellum stamped randomly with the dragonfly text stamp. Then paperlace and ribbon were added (I coloured them with the leftover moonshadow inks on my craft mat). I stamped the focal image with vintage photo DI and stamped the dragonflies twice on some fantasy film. The sentiment is from Elusive images. Everything was torn and inked with lots more DI before being layered up to make the finished card.

I'm entering this in the following challenges too

Simon Says Stamp and Show: Layers

Artful Inkables: Distressing

Creatalicious:Vintage

My Partner in Crafting Crime: Vintage

Thanks for looking,

Claire xx