Spring Bird Daffodil from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning my lovelies, it's my turn to share a project over on the Chocolate Baroque DT blog today so I've got a bright and cheerful daffodil to remind us that Spring is nearly here.

The focal image is from Spring Bird Daffodil, coloured with Lyra Pencils and distressed with Gathered Twigs distress ink. The background was made with more distress inks,glimmer mists, a little stencilling and one of the smaller stamps from the same set, again coloured with lyra pencils.

I used one of the smaller stamps with Gathered Twigs ink around the edges and added some seam binding ribbon dyed with more distress ink, a little lace and a paper daffodil. As a finishing touch I made some raindrops here and there on the background with dots of glossy accents, dragged into a drop shape with a cocktail stick. 

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Fussy and Fancy: Springtime

Ooh La La: Spring is in the air

Stamping Sensations: Close to nature

The Ribbon Girls: any image plus ribbon

Through the purple haze: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes at We Love 2 Create

Good morning my lovelies, it feels much more like winter than spring here this morning but hopefully Spring isn't too far away. We've got a new challenge and a DT call over at We Love 2 Create so as well as a fab prize of crafty goodies up for grabs there's a chance to join our friendly little band of crafters too!! Pop over and find out all the details here

PanPastels are perfect for quick scenic cards and to make this one I began by blending in shade of Yellow Green PanPastel with Colourless Blender to create the hills and then used shades of blue for the sky. I stamped in the images and added a little colour with more PanPastels and Lyra Pencils. The butterflies were stamped and embossed on acetate. All the stamps used are from Chocolate Baroque. 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments: Easter or Spring with a sentiment

Fussy and Fancy: Springtime

Inky Chicks: Flowers

Ooh La La: Spring is in the air

Shopping our stash: luck of the Irish (mostly green)

Simon Says Stamp: bit o' green

Simply Create Too: lots of green

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

Claire xx

PanPastel Ultramarine Blue	Ultramarine Blue Tint	White Fine Pearl Medium for Pan Pastels	Bright Yellow Green Pan Pastel
Bright Yellow Green Shade	Diarylide Yellow PanPastel	Pan Pastel Colourless Blender

Chocolate Baroque Colour Challenge

Good morning folks, I'm a day late with this post  it's time for a new challenge over at Chocolate Baroque Challenge and as always we have a lovely colour palette to inspire you. I've used a mixture of the new stamps that were on Hochanda last month, Baroque Meadow with an old favourite called Patchwork Butterfly

Here's the colour palette for this months colour challenge

I've used one of the fabulous Pink Pig art journals which were also on Hochanda, this one has watercolour paper and I've been really impressed with the quality of the paper. I began with a mixture of gelatos in the challenge colours and then stencilled over the top with Magenta Shade and Magenta  Extra Dark PanPastel. Next I stamped the images with versamark and applied Gold PanPastel over the top, you can see it a bit better in this pic.

I added colour to the butterflies with more gelatos and used a black charcoal pencil around the edges to give them a bit more definition. I stamped the word inspire from Artistic Expressions to finish the page.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

A Bit more Time to craft: Anything goes

Artistic Inspirations: Anything goes

Crafting when we Can: Mixed Media

Inspiration Destination: Anything goes

Wonderful Wednesdays: anything goes

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

Claire xx

Anything Goes at Polkadoodles

Hello again, my second post today and this vintage inspired card is my project for our Anything Goes Challenge at Polkadoodles. The DT were challenged to incorporate one of Nikky's fab design sheets for this challenge so I've used one of the beautiful Design Sheets from the Belle Papillon collection

I  cut out lots of the gorgeous vintage tags from the design sheet to decorate my card. I couldn't resist adding some of Nikky's beautiful die cuts too, they are from Birdcage and Bird Doublet Die, Butterfly 1 Doublet Die along with Belle Papillon A5 Clear Stamps. The paper is from the same collection, again overstamped with distress inks and Belle Papillon script stamp. I've added ribbon, lacfe , pears etc from my stash.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Creations: Anything goes

Creates and Makes: anything goes with a twist - vintage

Dream Valley: lots of layers

Ooh La La: embossing

Through the craft room door: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Spring Bird Crocus from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, it's my turn to share some artwork over on the Chocolate Baroque DT Blog and this one features Spring Bird Crocus which was recently on the Chocoalte Baroque Hochanda. I've used the beautifully detailed little bird stamp to make this project

For this first project I began by applying texture paste through a woodgrain stencil onto a little MDF bird house blank. Once that was dry I added some colour with acrylic paint, shimmer spray and distress ink

I stamped the bird and coloured the image with pencils before cutting out and layering the image up over some scraps of hessian, lace and ribbon from my stash. I topped the birdhouse with some raffia and a little wooden button. Here's a closer pic of the image:

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Addicted to stamps and more: Make your mark

CRAFT: Easter or spring

Craft Rocket: no patterned paper

Frilly and Funkie: Spring

Stamps & Stencils: Birds

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

Claire xx

Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes at We Love 2 Create

Good morning my lovelies, I hope you're having a good weekend. This morning's card is my project for our new challenge over at We Love 2 Create where we're sticking with a nice easy theme of Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes. I've used two of my favourite colours in the PanPastel range and some beautiful stamps and dies from Polkadoodles.

I blended turquoise and bright yellow green PanPastel on white linen card and blended with a little White Pearlescent medium for a little shimmer. I overstamped with the text stamp from Belle Papillon (Polkadoodles) using Teal memento ink and then with the foliage stamp from Bella Fleur with versamark before embossing with white EP.

I stamped the flowers with memento tuxedo black and die cut them with the coordinating die and coloured them with the same PanPastels, adding a little definition with Lyra pencils.

I stamped the sentiment on the largest of the Elegant Next die cuts and added some dots of pearl glue and some die cut foliage.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

A bit more time to craft: Anything goes

Creative Sketchy Girls: use die cuts

Sweet Stampers: add a sentiment

Sweet Stampin: no designer papers

WOW Embossing Powder Challenge: Spring with WOW EP

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

Claire xx

Turquoise Pan Pastel

Bright Yellow Green Pan Pastel

White Fine Pearl Medium for Pan Pastels

Bella Fleur crafting kit

elegant nest set of 3 dies

Anything Goes at Colour Crazy Challenge

Good morning again my lovelies, my second post today and this time I'm sharing my project for our Anything Goes challenge at the Colour Crazy Challenge where we're sponsored by Bugaboo. You can use any medium to play along, just make sure you've used a hand coloured image and you could be the lucky winner of a lovely prize from Bugaboo!!

I've coloured this supercute mermaid and her little friends from Bugaboo ( you can find them here) with my Graph'It markers and create a background with PanPastels and Superthick Slap it on through a bubble stencil. Once the glossy paste was dry I added white highlights with a Graph'It shake pen and cut some extra bubbles out to layer up with 3d foam pads.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Artistic inspirations: Anything goes

Crafting by Designs: Anything goes

Crafty Sentiment Designs: Anything goes

Glitter'n'sparkle: anything goes

Wonderful Wednesdays: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Anything Goes or Ribbons and Bows from Polkadoodles

Good morning folks, Friday at last so the weekend is nearly here! I hope you're going to join our 'Anything Goes' challenge over at Polkadoodles, we've got a fab prize and lots of inspiration from my lovely teamies too. The DT were challenged to use ribbons and bows so I've made a very girly card for my DT offering.

 I've made a card using some of Nikky's beautiful stamps and dies. The papers are from the Belle Papillon Collection and the flowers are stamps from the beautiful Bella Fleur A5 Stamp set . I've die cut the flowers using the Flower Bunch Doublet Die and layered them up with 3d foam pads over the gorgeous Elegant Nest die cuts

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Gals Corner: add ribbon

Creative Moments: anything goes

Dragonfly Journeys: Bodacious bows

Deep Ocean: Add lace

Incy Wincy: leather and/or lace

The Ribbon Girls: Any image

Thanks for popping by, hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

Spring Colours or Easter at Eclectic Ellapu

Hello my lovelies, how's your week going? I can't believe it's already 1st March, it only seems like 2 minutes since Christmas but hopefully March means longer days and warmer weather. It also means a new challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu where our theme this month is 'Spring Colours or Easter'.

I've made a card featuring a Spring scene using lots of different stamps. I began by stamping the dog (from Sheena Douglass) and masking with masking tissue. Then I used  a Clarity Stencil and some glimmer mists to create the blue sky and green hills. The clouds were made using a sponge and acrylic paint/ I stamped in the trees (from Chocolate Baroque). The foliage and mushrooms were stamped using Lavinia stamps and Memento inks. I coloured the dog with Lyra pencils and added some grass to bring the scene together. I used Gathered Twigs distress ink around the edges.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More: Anything goes

Crafty Cardmakers: go green

Paper Minutes: Spring

Paper Shelter: Animal Magic

The Crazy Challenge: We love animals

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

Claire xx

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

Some of my favourite things

Hello there my lovelies, I'm back at work this morning after a long weekend off work but before I go I just wanted to share a project made using lots of my favourite things. The challenge over at IndigoBlu is 'Love is all you need' so I've used some of my favourite Indigo Blu stamps to make this little canvas. I've also used lots of embellies from Craft Box too,  Anna from Craft Box has a very special box of goodies on Hochanda today so if you have time do check it out.

I began by misting my canvas with mica sprays in shades of pink, once that was dry I used IndigoBlu fine texture paste to stencil in the chicken wire and left it to dry. I added some stamping using Memento Lilac Posies ink and the dinkie script stamp from the last IndigoBlu ODS. I filled some of the little shapes on the background with deeper pink mica spray and then added sparkly mod podge to others. I added a few blobs of sparkly ModPodge here and there too. I sprayed some Foamiran Flowers made using Sizzix Tattered Florals with mica sprays, this was a bit of an experiment and they took ages to dry but have a pretty subtle effect

I glued on the flowers, some lace, ribbon and pearl trim, adding some leaves that I'd painted with gold acrylic paint and dusted with glitter. I used stamps from IndigoBlu's Mr Darcy stamps and coloured with pencils before cutting out and layering on my project. I added some gilding flackes and a little more pink mica spray/ To finish off I've added some large hat pins decorated with Craft Box beads and a little cameo, also from Craft Box.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers: add some texture

Dream Valley: add some metal

IndigoBlu: love is all you need

In the pink: Dies or punches plus pink

Lost Coast Designs: Lovers plus rubber stamps

Sweet Stampin: flowers

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

Claire xx

Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes at We Love 2 Create

Good morning my lovelies, I've got a long weekend off work and for once the weather looks like it is improving so hopefully I'll be able to take the dogs for some nice long walks to tire them out so I can play in my craft room. Today's project is for our 'Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes' at We Love 2 Create where we've got lots of inspiration from my lovely teamies and a some fabulous crafty stash for our lucky winner thanks to our generous sponsor Premium Craft Brands.

I've made this little canvas using quite a few PanPastel colours (you can find links at the end of my post) and lots of embellishments from the lovely Anna at Craft Box. I began by blending PanPastels over the canvas and then spritzed with coordinating mica sprays made with ColourArte pigments for a little sparkle. I added some stencilling with Maimeri Glassy Gel coloured with more pigments and left it to dry for a while.

I added the flowers, leaves, little owl, a pretty seam binding bow and charm and then added the little Snip Art Frame that I coloured with PanPastel mixed with glassy gel medium. I coloured a scrap of acetate with alcohol ink and stamped Thankful with versmark and embossed with Gold EP.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Allsorts: Anything goes

Altered Eclectics: Anything goes

Crafts Galore Encore: Anything goes

Simply Papercraft: Anything goes

My Time to Craft: Anything but a card

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

Claire xx

orange shade	Burnt Sienna	Burnt sienna shade	Raw Umber PanPastel	PanPastel Turquoise Shade
PanPastel Turquoise Extra Dark	Sofft sponge bars	Glassy Gel Medium

Meadow pendant from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, today's project is a little pendant and matching tag made with some of the gorgeous stamps from Chocolate Baroque.  This one was made as a sample for the recent one day special on Hochanda and Lesley is back on tv today with lots more beautiful stamps. You can see Lesley on Hochanda at 7am, 11am and 3pm with some fabulous Spring themed goodies!

I've made a  tag and a pendant made with the leftover ink from making the card I posted yesterday. I had a tiny bit of colour left on my craft mat so I misted it with water and mopped it up with some white card. I cut out the tag and stamped with some delicate foliage and edged with silver embossing. I stamped the rest of the card with foliage and used glossy accents to glue a cabochon in place, once that was dry I cut it out and popped it in a bezel and added some green velvet ribbon to make a pendant.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafting from the Heart: anything goes

Simon Says Stamp: Florals

The Corrosive Challenge: Anything goes

Try it on Tuesday: let's get messy

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

Claire xx

Chocolate Baroque Colour Challenge

Good morning folks, we've got a new challenge starting over at Chocolate Baroque Challenge and as always we've got a gorgeous colour palette to inspire us, a fab prize for our lucky winner and lots of inspiration from my lovely teamies too!

I've made a steampunk inspired tag using the challenge colour palette and some of my favourite Chocolate Baroque stamps.

I began with a tag and mopped up lots of  Lucky Shamrock Green Starburst Stain. This wasn't so lucky for me as I managed to spill the pot all over my craftroom lol. I stamped the sentiment from Artistic Affirmations and the lacy border which is from Lace Fragments with versamark ink and embossed with a WOW sparkly copper EP. I also swiped around the tag very roughly with Copper metallic paint and a credit card, adding a little copper EP and heating for some texture. The gorgeous butterfly is from Steampunk Butterfly, again embossed with Copper EP but this time on acetate. I cut it out and coloured the back with green and turquoise alcohol inks. I've added a little ribbon and a brad to finish off.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers: add some texture

Daring Cardmakers: mirror mirror (shiny/reflective)

My time to craft: anything but a card

Penny Black and More: use your stamps

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Favourite tool (heat gun)

Try it on Tuesday: Let's get messy

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

Claire xx

Kingfisher Meadow

Good morning folks, how's your week going? Before I dash off to work I just wanted to share a card made using the beautiful new stamps from Chocolate Baroque. I just love this kingfisher, he's a real beauty!

For this card I began with a background made with ColourArte pigment powders on watercolour card, it's really shimmery in real life but sadly it doesn't show too well in the pic. I overstamped the background with lots of lovely foliage stamps ( you can find all the new stamps here). I stamped the kingfisher on white card and painted him with the same mica pigments, he looked a little flat so I had a rummage in my craft room and found some very old Sakura stardust pens which my some miracle still worked so I used them to give him lots more detail. I cut him out and layered him up on 3d foam pads A stamped sentiment in a little punched envelope were added to finish the card.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

A bit more time to craft: anything goes

Animal Friends: no designer papers

Creative Fingers: Anything goes

Creative Moments: Anything goes

Little Miss Muffet: Anything goes

Wonderful Wednesdays: Anything goes

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

Claire xx