New England Winter from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, I haven't had a lot of time for crafting or blogging lately but I did mange to make some samples for the recent Chocolate Baroque shows on Hochanda. This card features New England Winter, this is one of my all time favourite sets!

I began by stamping the image onto watercolour paper and painting with masking fluid. I gave it a good coat of the fluid as I was planning on a very messy background lol. Once the masking fluid was dry spritzed the card with plenty of water and set to with my watercolour paints to create a 'galaxy sky' effect. I used shades of blue, green, purple and pink - mixed with plenty of water and added black around the edges. While the paint was wet I sprinkled over some rock salt and then added some drops of rubbing alcohol. I wasn't sure how the alcohol would react with the water but it was on my desk so i had a go. The salt created the feathery effect in the background (I think I added a bit too much lol) and the alcohol created the circles. I left the background to dry and and then splattered everything with watered down white gesso and again left it to dry before adding some even white stars with a white posca pen. Once the background was completely dry I removed the masking fluid and watercoloured the image. I added glossy accents to the tree lights and white pva glue generously sprinkled with glitter to create the snow in the foreground. The sentiment is from Let's Get Festive.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps: Christmas

Christmas at Sweet Stampin: anything goes for Christmas

Little Red Wagon: make your background

The Merry Christmas Challenge: anything Christmas

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Stamp it

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

Claire xx

Anything Goes at Polkadoodles

Good morning folks, it's an 'Anything Goes' theme over at Polkadoodles so I hope you're going to join in the fun to be in with the chance of winning a fab prize from the Polkadoodles store! 

The DT were challenged to make a card using hot colours, so I decided to have a play with my watercolour paints. I stamped the butterflies and flowers (from Bella Fleur and Belle Papillon stamp sets) using versamark ink and embossed with black EP.  I just love these stamps, they are so useful but soooo pretty! You can find links to them at the bottom of this post

I simply painted with red, rose and yellow paints and added some splatters here and there. I stamped the sentiment in black ink and doodled a border to finish off before laying on black card.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafting from the Heart: Anything goes
Crafty Sentiments: Anything goes
Stamping Sensations: Anything goes
Sweet Stampin: doodling
Through the Craft Room Door: Anything goes

Thanks so much for visiting today
Claire xx

Polka Doodles Belle Papillon A5 stamp set

Bella Fleur Large stamp set

Anything goes at Colour Crazy Challenge

Good morning folks, it's time for a new challenge over at Colour Crazy Craft Challenge and it's a nice easy theme again .... Anything Goes. We've got a lovely prize from our sponsor Crafty Ribbons and you can use any medium you want to enter, as long as you include a hand coloured image.

I have to confess that I'm a bit of a ribbon addict and have loads of goodies from our lovely sponsor Crafty Ribbons. I've used some lovely pale blue organza ribbon on this card with  supercute image from the Polkadoodles Winnie Winterland collection and lots of Polkadoodles die cuts. The image was coloured with Lyra pencils and I added lots of glamour dust for a little frosty sparkle. I've used some of my favourite dies from Polkadoodles and added some little flowers from one of the Design Sheets from Winnie Winterland.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Christmas at Sweet Stampin: anything goes for Christmas

Incy Wincy: no words

Lemon Shortbread: Anything goes

Paper Shelter: punches/dies

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: anything goes

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

Claire xx

Anything goes at Polkadoodles

Good morning my lovelies, our theme at Polkadoodles Challenge is Anything Goes so it's easy peasy to be in with a chance to win a lovely prize from Polkadoodles!

The DT were challenged to use the theme holidays/summer fun so I've used this cute image from Work and Play 4, she's called Swimming Girl and you can get her as a digistamp here. I've coloured her with Lyra pencils and used PanPastels to create the background. 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Corrosive Challenge: anything goes

CRAFT;  Anything goes

Crafting with an attitude: Anything goes

Crafty Friends: Anything goes

Creative Fingers: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Hanging Flowers from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning my lovelies, Monday already so I'm heading off to work but before I go I just wanted to share a card featuring Hanging Flowers, one of the beautiful new stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

I stamped the focal image onto some white stamping card with black Versafine ink and then stamped twice more on some scraps of stamping card so that I could decoupage some of the flowers. I coloured the images with watercolour pencils, using a damp brush to blend the colour. I coloured around the image with watercolour paint using lots of water to create a muted effect.I stamped the foliage using Take it or Leaf it with a little distress ink. I splashed a little blue and green watercolour paint here and there and added a blue bow and a sparkly dazzler to finish the card off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Friends: Anything goes
Fussy and Fancy: Favourite Colour (blue flowers)
Simply Create Too: flowers
Southern Girls: Add some stamping
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 to Create

Good morning my lovelies, it's been another busy week at work so I'm enjoying a lazy weekend with a wee bit of crafting thrown in. My project today is for our 'Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes' challenge over at We Love 2 Create. As always we have some lovely crafty goodies just waiting for our lucky winner thanks to our generous sponsor Premium Craft Brands and you don't have to use our products to play along!

 I'd been looking through some old Craft Stamper mags for some inspiration and found a few techniques that inspired this tag. Seth Apter had created a gorgeous crackled background using Tinting base and acrylics so I had a go using my Pans and Tinting base.

I kind of thought my tag looked a bit like an old shed door so I added some grungeboard hinges, a key (again coloured with PanPastels). I stamped some Paper Artsy numbers here and there and added a shink plastic sign to my door, again using a Paper Artsy stamp. I added some grass to the bottom and some dotty flowers with white and yellow pens.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

A Perfect Time to Craft: anything goes

Artistic Stampers: Anything goes

Country View Crafts: blues and greens

Creative Artiste: Anything mixed media

Through the Purple Haze: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Raw Umber PanPastel	Bright Yellow Green Shade	Phthalo Blue extra dark	Burnt Sienna PanPastel	PanPastel Phthalo Green
Bright Yellow Green Pan Pastel

Anything Goes or Christmas at Polkadoodles

Good morning folks, are you ready for the weekend? I certainly am, I'm getting too old to work for a living lol. My card today is for our 'Anything Goes' Challenge at Polkadoodles. The DT were challenged to make a Christmas project so we're hoping to give you a little inspiration to get an early start with your Christmas cards.

When is a peacock not a peacock? When it's a Christmas tree lol.

I've used the fabby Regal Peacock stamp set from Polkadoodles to make this card, those peacock feathers make wonderful Christmas trees with a little glitter glue to create some baubles.

I began by masking the moon and using torn paper masks to create the hills, I've used  Iced Spruce distress ink and an ink duster to ink in the sky and hils. The 'trees' were stamped with the same ink and I used a wet brush to add a little dimension and shading to the trees. I stamped the flourishes from the same stamp set around the edges and to create branches and added dots of glitter glue. I stamped the word 'Happy', drew the baubles and wrote the letters in them and highlighted them with glossy accents.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Crafting by Designs: Christmas
Crafting from the Heart: Anything goes
Crafts Galore Encore: Anything goes
Love to Scrap: Anything goes
Ooh La La: Landscapes

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

Winter Solstice from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, a quick post before I dash off to work as I wanted to share this project made using stamps and stencils from Chocolate Baroque.

 I began by stamping 

Winter Dawn onto white car and coloured her with Graph'It Markers. I outlined the image with a black marker annd then applied black gesso all round and then added some colour using Twinkling H2O paint in blued and purples. I stamped the image again on acetate using versmark in and embossed with a sparkly white powder. I cut the snowflakes out and layered them up over the image. I added a little glue and glitter too give some more dimension.

 I added some stencilling around the image using the Seasonal Elements stencil and glassy gel medium, sprinkling with more glitter while the medium was still wet. The colours of the paint have bled through this while it was drying, a happy accident as I love the effect!  I applied clear versamark ink through the stencil to create the wording and embossed with Icicle WOW EP. I layered the focal image up one some corrugated card that I'd painted with black gesso and highlighted with a little silver gilding wax. I added a little scrap of ribbon and a snowflake embellishment to finish off.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks: Blue Christmas

Christmas at Sweet Stampin: Anything goes for Christmas

Creative Craft Cottage: Christmas

Frilly and Funkie: Christmas

WOW embossing powder: Anything goes with EP

Thanks so much for popping by, hope to see you again soon

Claire xx

Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes at We Love 2 Create

Good morning my lovelies, my second post today and this one is my project for our Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes challenge at We Love 2 Create. Those lovely people at Premium Craft Brands have some lovely crafty goodies just waiting for our lucky winner and you don't even have to use our products to enter! 

I've made a journal page for my DT project this time around. I began by cleaning my very gungy brick stencil that I 'd used on another project onto my page with a baby wipe. Its amazing how much texture paste is left on a stencil when you've finished using it. Once this was dryI added some colour with shades of brown PanPastels. I coloured the centre area with Bright Yellow Green and Shade PanPastels. I added some foamiran lilies that I'd made using stamps and dies from Sheena Douglass. I stamped the pink memento ink and then added colour with my Magenta PanPastel once I'd die cut the lilies. I coloured the bird cage and little birdie die cuts with PanPastels and then glued everything in place. The sentiment is from Indigo Blu, stamped with a mix of pink and green ink.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

A Perfect time to craft: anything goes

Everybody Art: Summer/Tropical

Fussy and Fancy: Anything goes

Wonderful Wednesdays: Anything goes

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

Claire xx

Burnt Sienna PanPastel	Raw Umber PanPastel	Metallic Pan Pastel, Pewter	Pan Pastel - Magenta	Bright Yellow Green Pan Pastel
Bright Yellow Green Shade	PanPastel Ultramarine Blue	Hansa Yellow	PanPastel - Sofft Knives and Covers

Summer Day from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning my lovelies, my project today features stamps and stencils from Chocolate Baroque. I really enjoyed making this as I love colouring but I also love playing with paint and stencils too.

To make Summer Day I began by stamping Summer Fayre on to kraft card and colouring her with Lyra pencils. I dry brushed around the image with white gesso and also applied gesso to a piece of corrugated card. Once the gesso was dry I applied different shades of green acrylic paint through the Useful Leaves stencil to create the background, this is definitely a useful stencil but so pretty too. I added the lettering using the Seasonal Journey stencil and a little red acrylic paint. To finish the wall hanging I added some ribbon, gingham trim and little paper poppy.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Crafting by Designs: recycle, reuse, repurpose

Creatalicious: Anything goes/summer

Creative Fingers: Anything goes

Daisy Chain: Floral

Really Reasonable Ribbon: anything goes with ribbon

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

Claire xx

Anything Goes at Colour Crazy Craft Challenge

Good morning again folks, my second post today and this card is for our Anything Goes challenge at Colour Crazy Challenge. Our sponsor this time is Lemon Shortbread and I've used their fab image Surfer Guy to make this card.

I've coloured the image with Graph'It markers and used PanPastels and some clear microbeads for the  background. The sentiment was stamped in red ink and I've simply matted and layered him on red and then dark blue card.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Card Mania: summer fun

Delicious Doodles: Beside the sea

Inky Chicks: Sentiment

Stinkin Inkers: Summer heat

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

Claire xx

Anything Goes or Christmas at Polkadoodles

Good morning my lovelies, work has been so busy lately I've been very quiet on the blogging front but today I have two posts to share. This project is for our 'Anything goes' or Christmas challenge over at Polkadoodles. 

Did you see Nikky on Create and Craft on Monday? She was demoing the gorgeous Regal Peacock stamps and also Winnie Winterland. My project today features one of the adorable digi stamps from Winnie Winterland. This image is called Skating Around and you can find it here as a digi stamp or you can treat yourself to the complete collection here.

I've altered an old clock to make a shaker decoration. Once I'd removed the clocks innards (sounds painful lol) I added a layer of one of the beautiful papers in the Winnie Winterland Collection and then some layers of torn, glittered paper hills. I coloured the image with Lyra pencils and cut it out and layered it up on 3d foam. I added some faux snow and replaced the glass of the clock with some strong acetate.

To decorate the outside of the clock I applied some white crackle paint and then made lots of flowers using Polkadoodles Flowers 1 , Flowers 2 and Flower Flourish dies and foamiran. All the dies are selling like hot cakes but you can find what's left here.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Deep Ocean: Christmas in July

Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: Anything Christmas

Sparkles Forum Christmas: Christmas ornament

Unicorn Challenge: Christmas in July

Whoopsi Daisy: Christmas in July

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 folks, well the weather is lovely here this weekend so I'm hoping to spend the day relaxing in the garden but before I go and enjoy the sunshine I just wanted to share a tag I've made for our Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes challenge at We Love 2 Create. We've got some lovely crafty goodies for our lucky winner thanks to our sponsors Premium Craft Brands and you don't even have to use our products to play along. 

I cleaned my ledger stencil onto this tag when I was clearing up from another project, This one has glassy gel medium on and I was really pleased with the effect from the stencil, I just rubbed the gungy stencil over the tag with a baby wipe and it's created a really clear stencil effect. Unfortunately my rubbish photography skills don't show it too clearly lol. I blended Yellow Green PanPastel over the top, adding a little gold around the edges. Next I added some angel hair and some SnipArt which I coloured with gold PanPastel The leaves were die cut from kraft glassine, scrunched and then coloured with PanPastel Bright Yellow Green/Shade. The flower is made from Foamiran, I used the Blueberry colour (I think) and was quite disappointed with the colour as its quite grey in tone so it sat gathering dust in my craft room until I got out my PanPastels. I was really pleased with the way the Pans blended on the foam, I also used them to colour the stamens (I dabbed these on a versamark inkpad before applying the gold PanPastel. 

I added a shrink plastic glittery butterfly and some eyelash trim to finish off.

I'm entering this tag in the following challenges:

Country View Crafts: things with wings

Craft for the Craic: handmade flowers

Go tag Thursday: In the garden

That's Crafty: anything goes

Try it on Tuesday: tags

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

Claire x

PanPastel Magenta Extra Dark

Bright Yellow Green Pan Pastel

Bright Yellow Green Shade

PanPastel Rich Gold Metallic

PanPastel - Sofft Knives and Covers

Autumn Medley from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning my lovelies! Just a quick post to share one of my projects for this  month's gorgeous stamps over at the Chocolate Baroque DT Blog I just love all four of the beautiful ladies in the Four Seasons collection and this project features the lovely Autumn Medley. I began by spreading a thick layer of texture paste over the stamp and leaving her for a couple of days to dry.

Once the texture paste was dry I carefully peeled it away from the stamp and triimmed the edges to neaten it up. Then I painted it with acrylic paints, I was really pleased with the effect they gave

I took an oval mdf shape and applied texture paste through a woodgrain stencil, adding a thick layer around the edge of the piece. Once that was dry I painted with acrylic paints in shades of brown and then attached the lady so that her hair wood blend into the wood. I added some flowers, leaves and raffia from my stash and used a little mdf sentiment from my stash to finish off.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Crafting by Designs: Anything goes

Creative Artiste: Anything mixed media goes

Emerald City: anything goes

That's Crafty: anything goes

Stamps and Stencils: colour texture shape

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

Claire xx

Seaside or Summer Colours at Eclectic Ellapu

Good morning crafty friends weekend is here at last and can you believe that it's July already? That means it's time for a new challenge at Eclectic Ellapu and our theme this month is Seaside or Summer Colours. My teamies have created some beautiful artwork to inspire you so pop over and have a look if you've got a minute to spare.

I've made another tag for my tag journal, it's filling up nicely now! I love to use kraft card for sea themed projects so I've cut a tag from kraft to make this tag. I've mainly used PanPastels for this little scene. I began by creating the sky using Ultramarine Blue PanPastel and some colourless blender. Then I sponged in the sea, using Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Green amd Ultramarine blue tint. 

Next I created the waves using the same blues and greens but in the Shade/Extra Dark options. I used a pencil eraser to remove the colour where I wanted the clouds and the crests of the waves and then applied PanPastels in White, Fine Pearl Medium and added a touch of Paynes Grey to the clouds.

I stamped the sentiment (from Chocolate Baroque) in blue ink and the grasses in grey, added a little more colour with Bright Yellow Green PanPastel and some shadows with Paynes Grey. I added some details to the waves with a white posca pen and also added some tiny microbeads for the 'froth' where the waves are breaking.

I'm entering this tag in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps: summer/beach

Artistic inspirations: Anything goes

Ooh La La: Summertime

Shopping our stash: Lazy summer days

The Corrosive Challenge: anything goes

Thanks for visiting today, hope to see you again soon

Claire xx