I can't believe its May 1st

At this rate it will be Christmas before we know it. I'll be ready this year though as here is another Christmas card:

I've used 'Snow Goddess' a gorgeous digistamp from Michelle Perkett, coloured with promarkers and clear sakura stardust highlights. I've also used glossy accents on her eyes and to highlight the little holly berries on the wreath around her shoulders. She is matted onto a cirle of glossy card coloured with Big'n'Juicy hydrangea inkpad and then onto another circle of silver card. The snowflake bps are make using Tim Holtz snowflakes stamped in versamark on glossy card and brayered with the same inkpad. I've tried to fade the colour towards the centre and I'm quite pleased with the result. I've matted the bp squares onto silver card, added a couple of bows and attached a tiny bell with jump rings.

I've made this card for the following challenges:

Bah Humbug: Snowflakes

I love promarkers: A lovely sketch this week, perfect inspiration for this card

Fab's Big Christmas Challenge: Wreath and glossy accents

Corrosive Challenge: Lucky charms (does my little bell count as a charm?I hope so)

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Alice in Wonderland

Cynthia has set us all a fab challenge over at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog this week, the theme is Alice in Wonderland. When I first thought about the theme, I didn't think I had any stash that would fit the bill, then I remembered I had saved some tiny perfume bottles which would be perfect for a 'Drink me' project. I googled 'Drink me' and found a fab site with loads of free original illustrations here. I decided to make a shadow box for my bedroom wall so I used a blue and sepia colour scheme. This morning's sunshine has vanished and its a very grey day here now so I've struggled to get a pic but here is the result:

I coloured both sides of the canvas with pale blue acrylic paint and then added some shimmer with Bucanneer Bay Blue Moonshadow Mist and a couple of starburst stains. While that was drying I made a frame to cover the staples around the canvas with some hammered card, coloured it with the same spray and then stamped with some SeeD's stamps before distressing with brown ink. I used beeswax to  make a collage inside the frame, layering up the main image,some cups, bottles and looking glasses (which I'd stamped on tissue paper), blue glitter and some toadstools. I then added some silver microbeads and stars. The little bottle is filled with water and blue ink, I addeded some wax to run down the neck and attached it with silicone glue.

I'm also entering my little shadow box in to the following challenges:

One stop craft challenge: anything but a card

Digital Tuesday: also anything but a card

Raise the Bar: My Retreat

Thanks for looking, I hope you are enjoying the bank holiday weekend

Claire xx

Peacock queen

I've made this card for the 2nd challenge from Wendy and the team at CD Sunday Challenge blog which is 'Artistic Oriental'

I've used bp from Artylicious 'Peacock Summer Party cd' which is printed on vellum and matted on some gold textured card for the background. The image is from one of the Elusive images peacock themeplates, stamped on acetate with stazon and glittered on the reverse. I've coloured her skin with a permapaque marker. The image is matted on some more gold card with eyelets. The sentiment is a tag from the same cd also printed on to vellum with the sentiment stamped and embossed in gold and gold edges. The flowers are made using more stamps from Elusive images which were stamped and embossed in gold on to paper from the same Cd. I curled the petals and added a blob of silicone to the smaller one which I covered with microbeads and glitter. I'd run out of bottlecaps for the centre of the large flower, or I thought I had but a quick visit to my sons bedroom provided me with lots of bottlecaps lol. I flattened one in my cuttlebug, and filled the centre with more microbeads and glitter.

Also for the following challenges:

Gingersnaps spicy supply challenge GC50: Found objects

Sketch and Stash: A fab sketch again this week,  I've turned the image round to make a diamond shape and used a tag and flower instead of ribbon

One stop craft challenge: Metallic

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Spring Thank You Card

This card is for Crafty Ann's challenge which is a recipe - one digi, 3 colours, 3 flowers and a ribbon. I've used one digi sweet pea flower in 3 different colours for this challenge (maybe cheating a little as i've added a touch of green too)

I am still using stuff up as my printer is inkless atm and these lovely sweet pea images are freebies from  BirdsCards. They are coloured with promarkers, matted onto some pastel green card and mounted on the card with 3d foam tape. The foiled sentiment is from Elusive images matted on some of the same card with a little green ribbon added.

This card is also for the following challenges:

The ABC Challenge: T is for Thank you

Paperplay: Pretty Pastels

I love Digi: A Thank you card

Fab'n'Funky: No DPs

Gingersnaps GC51 Random Redhead Challenge: Botanical

I've got a long weekend off work now and hope to get lots of crafting done, dicky back permitting anyway lol. I love this time of year with all the bank holidays. Its a lovely morning here although the weather forecast isn't too good. I hope you have some sunshine for the bank holiday. Thanks for looking

Claire xx

April Showers

I'm cutting it fine for Cynthia's 'April Showers' challenge over at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog this week. I've had one of those weeks where everything I make ends up in the bin so I've kept this card very simple

The image is from Wink Wink Ink, coloured with promarkers and some glossy accents on the puddle but you can't really see them in the scan. I've followed this weeks sketch from 'Sketch Saturday'. The image is matted on to some green card and I've used some yellow cuttlebugged card for the background and some little coloured brads. I'm also entering this card in this weeks challenge from Sophisticat which is to make a card for a child.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

I didn't do it....

Is one of my favourite digis from Karen's Doodles and I thought this naughty little pup was perfect for the 'Monochromatic' challenge this week on Karen's Doodles UK Challenge Blog

The image is coloured with promarkers, some glossy accents on his eyes and nose and then distressed with some brown ink before matting onto some brown crocodile skin paper from my stash. For the background I've used some cream card stamped with flourishes (well birds tails from Elusive images) and again distressed with brown ink. The crackled brown background is made using a layer of cream acrylic paint, a layer of homebase crackle paint that I found in the shed and a layer of brown acylic paint.

I'm also entering this card for the following challenges

Cards for Men: Monochrome

Crafty Creations: distressing

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge: Distressing

Tuesday Taggers: Memories. This image reminds me of one of my dogs - Benji is a honey coloured german shepherd and when he was a puppy he managed to chew through a duvet and I came in to find the hall, stairs, landing and bedroom covered in white feathers. You wouldn't believe how  many feathers are in one duvet lol. This image always makes me smile as I can't see it without remembering that day.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Undersea Garden

I love this mermaid image from Michelle Perkett, it makes me think of a mermaid in her undersea garden (I seem to remember a song by the Beatles about an octopuses garden and keep humming it to myself lol). Anyway Michelles challenge at the Michelle Perkett Studio  Inspiration and Design challenge Blog is to make an easel card using a gorgoeus colour palette of pale blue, turquoise, celery and olive  - I love these colours and they seemed perfect for an undersea theme so here is my card

I've coloured the image with promarkers and added lots of glitter glue to the mermaids tail, hair, plants and the cute little seahorse. I've used celery green card and some K&Co backing paper. To embellish the card I've sprayed some cotton lace with turquoise and green glimmer mists and added some aqua velvet ribbon. I've punched some flowers out of the left over paper, distressed them with shabby shutters DI and added some tiny shells for their centres. I've used one to decorate the card (with a scrap of gm'ed lace as a leaf) and the second to hold the 'easel' up.

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

Quixotic challenge : Make a Splash

Fab'n'Funky challenge: Get it all out (use those crafty treasures we've all been hoarding - mine is the bp which is from a box of K&Co paper I've had for about 2 years)

The Pink Elephant: A colour challenge this week - aqua

Passion for Promarkers: In the garden

Thanks for looking,

Claire xx

Pretty in Pink

This week the team at Bah Humbug are challenging us to make a 'PINKY-LICIOUS CHRISTMAS PROJECT!". It took a while to get my head round this one as I don't think I've ever made a pink christmas card but here is my card

Tilda is coloured with promarkers and a clear stardust pen, the edges are distressed with grey ink. The pink background is make using Tim Holtz snowflake stamps on white glossy card, embossed with sparkle EP and then inked with pink dye ink. I added some clear gems. The black background is black matt card cuttlebugged using the christmas words embossing folder and sprayed with a snow angel glimmer mist. The snowflakes are made of glitter card, coloured with dye ink (a bit of an experiment but it seems to have worked out ok) and cut on my cricut. They are layered up with a gem in the centre.

My 'pinkylicious card' is also for the following challenges:

Susie and Vikki's Christmas Club: Joy, Peace, Noel

Winter Wonderland: Anything goes for Christmas

ABC Christmas Challenge: I is for Ice

Paperplay Challenge: No patterned paper

I love promarkers: Black, White + one other colour

Fab's Big Christmas Challenge: Snowflakes and Embossing

Thanks for looking,

Claire xx

Michelle Perkett Studios Earth Day Blog Hop

Good morning everyone, there's an Earth Day blog hop today starting at Michelle Perkett Studio  and hopefully you will have arrived here from Pattie's blog (isn't her creation gorgeous??). Michelle has challenged us to create a recycled project for Earth Day, I love this sort of challenge and I've made a Christmas decoration using a recycled cd and Michelle's gorgeous digistamp 'Sweetie'.

I covered the cd with thick white card as a base. I've made bp from copier paper heading for the bin - stamped snowflakes with icicle tex EP and then sprayed with lots of glimmer mists in shades of blue and the oversprayed with firework inks in pink and green (part of the challenge is to include green). I cut circles for the back and front on  my cricut, stuck them on the cd and then added glitter around the edge. Sweetie is coloured with promarkers and has lots of glitter too. I punched holes in the cd with my cropodile (huge sigh of relief when it didn't crack lol) and then strung some old beads (I get loads of jewellery from charity shops and recycle  the beads) on to some clear fishing wire (? I dont think thats the proper name but it was in the shed just waiting to be recycled lol) and suspended Sweetie from the wire. I added another thread of beads with a crystal dangle (again from my recycled beads) at the bottom.  A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get a load of jewellery findings from a scrap store locally. Its a FAB shop and sells off stuff that businesses are throwing away to local crafters and charities. Anyway I used 2 earring bases, took the clips off the back, filled them with silicone glue and some glitter and used them to cover up the holes in the cd 

I've tried to get a pic of Sweetie hanging up but the combination of my dreadful photography skills and the fact that she was moving round all the time made it very difficult ... my son was in stitches watching me trying to take this photo

Thanks for looking, your next stop is Mary's fabulous blog on your way to Michelle Perkett Challenge and Inspiration blog where you can vote for your favourite recycled project

Claire xx

Glenda's blog treats

Elusive images have some gorgeous new stamps and Glenda is giving some away on her blog.
Here is  a pic of 'Glorious Spring' but all the new stamps are stunning ... my wish lists gets longer and longer

The other new stamps are- Royal fleur de lys, Journal today and a beautiful themeplate for sympathy cards. Sympathy cards are always difficult to make but these are so elegant and the sentiments are perfect.

Claire xx

Rosie Door Hanger

Michelle Perkett is celebrating reaching 300 followers over at her Papercraft Planet Group and as part of the celebrations, Lynne has posted a fab Door Hanger Tutorial and set a challenge to create a door hanger using one of Michelle gorgeous digistamps. You can enter the challenge on Lynne's blog here, well worth a look as her work is just gorgeous. I loved the hanger Lynne made and she kindly shared a template so that I could make one and here it is

I've coloured Rosie with promarkers and highlighted her wings and the flowers in her hair with some prisma glitter. I used some thick greyboard from the back of a card pack to make the hanger (a nightmare to cut lol) and covered both sides with floral paper from a chatterbox scrapbook kit. I made some 3d flowers using flowers cut with my cricut and added green beads for the centres and some glittery highlights. The hanger is edged with pink ink to hide the edges.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

CD Sunday

CD Sunday is a new challenge blog with a fantastic DT, their first challenge is 'Wings and Things'.  I think its a fab idea to have a challenge using craft cds - I've got so many gathering dust in my craft room its a great opportunity to make use of them. Unfortunately my printer is out of ink (talk about great timing lol) but like most of us, I've got loads of stuff printed out and not used so until I get my CISS I'll be using up lots of left overs.

Here is my entry, using a gorgeous BP from Artylicious 'Decadent Delights' cd

The paper is matted on to some gold silk mirri card. I've stamped the huge butterfly from Elusive Images 'Patchwork Butterfly' themeplate on to acetate and embossed it with Halo gold EP before painting with Tinkabella Inks. I love Tinkabella inks on acetate - they are translucent so give a gorgeous 'stained glass' effect, I've tried to pick it up in the photo by as you know I am not the worlds best photographer lol. I've used a foiled sentiment, coloured with teal tinkabella ink and matted on to more gold silk mirri card. The sentiment is also from Graphicus, it doesn't show up to well on the pic but it reads:

"Take time to be friendly,

it is the road to happiness. Take time to dream,

it is hitching your wagon to a star.

Take time to love and to

be loved, it is the priviege of the gods.

Take time to look

around, it is too short a day to be selfish.

Take time to laugh, it is the

music of the soul.

(Old English Prayer)

To finish off, I've used 2 floradoodles coloured with teal ink again, for the centres I've used a blob of silicone glue covered with gold microbeads and then added some fb pearls coloured with stream alcohol ink in the corners.

This card is also for the following challenges:

Sunday Stamper: Free as a bird

Creatilicious Challenge: Flowers and wings

My time to craft: Quick quotes

Sentimental Sundays: Blooming Gorgeous (another new challenge, Ann has some fabulous digi sentiments)

Allsorts challenge: a photo inspiration challenge this week with a photo of a gorgeous butterfly bracelet.

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Under the moon's shadow

What a fab challenge from Elizabeth who is Guest designer at Dragon's Dream Tag it On. I've really struggled to get the effect I wanted for this tag - you know what its like when you get an idea but really struggle to transfer it to paper lol. 3 attempts in the bin and I'm still not totally happy with the finished product but here it is

The main image is a stamp from Non Sequitur which I havent used for years, stamped and then masked to create the background using my brayer and Big & Juicy ink (Hydrangea and Mountain Meadow). Instead of masking the moon, I cut it out and embossed it with clear sparkle EP. I also stamped around the edges of the tag with a Tim Holtz background stamp and silver brilliance (again embossed with sparkle EP). The trees are Elusive Images stamps and the rocks in the foreground from Non Sequitur, again they are highlighted with a little sparkle. I wanted the lady to look like she's just come out of the water and is catching the moonlight so I've coloured her with stardust pens and a water brush and then used a versamark pen and sparkle EP for highlights which don't show up too well. The image is matted on to some black card and the tag is finished off with a couple of silver eyelets and some black ribbon.

This tag is also for Cynthia's challenge at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog which is 'Trees' and also for Fab'n'Funky Challenge which is to use a neglected stamp

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Blue Rosie

I've made this card for this weeks challenge from Michelle Perkett Design Studio Challenge, where the challenge is movement + Spring  but I was too late lol. I've used pale blue and green (lots of those colours in the garden at the minute) and to add some movement I've made a beaded tassel to embellish the card. Unfortunately its soooooo  dark and miserable today (where on earth has Spring gone??)  I can't get a decent photo so I've had to scan it so apols for the rubbish pic.

Rosie is coloured with promarkers and then I added some highlights with a clear sakura startdust pen. Its a gatefold card for a change and Rosie is matted on to blue pearl card and mounted onto a smaller card which ties shut with blue organza bow. The BP is from my stash and the tassel is made with pale blue bugle beads and silver seed beads and is attached with a pale blue gem brad.

I'm also entering Rosie into the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers: Getting in a flap

Allsorts Challenge: In Stitches (the tassel is made using bead stitching technique)

Totally Papercrafts: Spring

Thanks for looking

Claire xx

Cupcake anyone?

I've never really 'got' the cupcake craze, well not until I saw this lovely digi from Hope Jacare a couple of weeks ago. Its so pretty and perfect for this weeks challenge at Tuesday Taggers which is cake and/or balloons for Emma's birthday (Happy Birthday Emma). The card is actually a thank you card for a friend.

The image is coloured with promarkers and then glittered with judikins Prisma Glitter. The papers are from DCWV and the circles were cut out on my cricut. I wanted to add some more cupcakes to the little circles but my blinking printer is out of ink so I cut out some flowers from the paper and added them with with foam pads. The 'Hi' sentiment is cut out using my cuttlebug

This card is also for the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday: I really loved this weeks sketch

ABC challenge: S is for sparkle (glitter on the cupcakes)

Paper Sundaes:  no people

Just scraps: magazine case (lots of yummy cakes in the magazine with our Sunday paper yesterday)

One Stitch at a Time: Thank you (on the insert as I couldn't fit it on the circle lol)

Thanks for looking

Claire xx