In the Springtime with Rainbow Lady's challenge

Its time for a new challenge at Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog and this time we want to see your Spring projects. We're sponsored this week by our fab regular sponsor Chi Chi Memories, i've used this supercute image to make an Easter wall hanging using a large Decor plate from Caroline's Rubber Stamps and some paint fusion stamps from Sheena Douglass

I used gold ecogreen acrylic paint, pva glue and lemon emulsion paint to create the crackle background. I used the little rosebud border paint fusion stamp around the edges of the decor plate and embossed with Ranger Queens Gold EP. The leaves and rosebuds are painted with various acrylic paints from my stash as I still haven't got the ones Sheena uses. I coloured the cute little Easter chick  in his basket with promarkers and cut it our and matted it on a distressed doiley. I got the polystyrene eggs from The Works - 24 for 99p, what a bargain!! They are painted with acrylic paint and decorated with some sticky ribbon from my stash.

I'm entering my project in the following challenges:

Allsorts: Anything but a square

Bow's and Berries: Easter

Crazy Challenge: Easter

Creative Inspirations: Easter

Die Cut Dreams: Easter

Floweret: Easter

Fun with shapes and more: Easter

Phindy's Place: Easter

Sparkles Forum: Easter

Stampin for the weekend: Easter

Sugar Creek Hollow: Vintage Easter

The Pink Elephant: Easter

Thanks for popping by, I hope you're enjoying some Spring weather, its really cold here again so I hope it improves for the weekend :-)

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

Hopping down the bunny trail with Michelle Perkett Studio

Hello, I'm counting down to the Easter break now, did I mention I've got 11 days off over Easter?? Anyway as I'm getting in the mood for Easter I've got a bunny card today made using the beautiful Ballerina Bunny available from Michelle Perkett's Etsy Store

I've coloured the bunny with promarkers and added some Judikins prisma glitter to her wings and clear microbeads to her tutu. The beautiful pink bp is a freebie from Bearly Mine. I've cuttlebugged some pink ans white pearl card and added some white organza ribbon, faux pearls and some paper flowers.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

A Spoon Full of Sugar: All creatures great and small

Catch the bug: 4 or more layers

C.R.A.F.T: animals/pets

Crafts and Me: glitter

Crafty Catz: Embossing

Crafty Emma's Challenge: Monochromatic

Dream Valley: Things with wings

Fussy and Fancy: Card for child

House of Gilli: Stripes and bling

Kaboodle Doodles: Cute and cuddly animals

One Stop Craft Challenge: Monochromatic

Paper Cutz: Bunny, lamb, Chick or Easter Egg

Paperplay: Critters galore

Totally Gorjuss: Fluffy

Wags'n'Whiskers: Ribbon and pearls

Don't forget to pop over and check out this weeks challenge over at Michelle Perkett Studio, Shelley and her team have a fab new challenge with a theme of 'Hopping down the bunny trail'

Thanks for calling by today

Claire xx

A song in your heart at CD Sunday

Its my second week as Guest Designer over at CD Sunday and this week there is another fab theme : a song in my heart. I'd got some music related sheets printed off from Joanna Sheen's cd 'Dancing with Shadows' (one of my all time favourite crafting cds) when I spotted this beautiful silhouette of a girl dancing, now she really does look like she has a song in her heart.

I printed the silhouette out on acetate and then used some glossy card, masked a sun and  brayered a spring sunset scene using B&J Soothing Sunset (of course lol) and over stamped with some foliage stamps from Chocolate Baroque. The acetate is attached to the scene with some pale green pearl brads. The bp is printed from another of my favourite cds, 'Essence of Nature' by Artylicious and is matted on some black card.

I  inked some scraps of white card with B&J foliage ink pad and sprized with water, then I stamped the leaves with Sheena Douglass stamps and once they were dry I cut them out and decoupage them up with silicone glue. The flower is made from the scrap paper from brayering the scene, I punched out about 6 flowers with a woodware punch, scrunched them up and then layered them, adding some stamens and glitter in the centre. I also added some little curls of memory thread.

The sentiment is from Joanna Sheen, stamped on some spare card from making the leaves, cut with a nestie and layered on some more black card.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

2 Sisters: Spring

Challenge up your life: Masking

Craft us Crazy: Easter or Spring

Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight: decoupage

Dutch Dare: spring has sprung

Fabulous Friday: brads

If the shoe fits: Spring is in the air

Make it colourful: Colouring skies (I love brayering skies as its such a quick and effective technique but I'm not sure if this technique counts so just delete my entry if it doesn't)

Simon Says Stamp: spring colour or easter

I hope i've inspired you to dust off your crafting cds and join our challenge at CD Sunday this week. I'm looking forward to seeing your creations :-). Its a lovely spring morning here today, blue sky and sunshine so i'm going to spend the morning weeding :-) For some reason I love weeding, and generally pottering round in the garden and of course its even better when the sun is shining. Have a good day

Claire xx

Don't forget ....

You still have time to enter our 'Easter' Challenge over at Let's Ink It Up!

There's a fab prize up for grabs from our sponsor 'Scrappit'

Click here for more details and to enter your Easter Project in our challenge

Claire xx

Guinevere

Hi there, its my favourite day of the week and after a dull start the sun has come out too :-)

Today's card features the lovely Guinevere from Michelle Perkett Studio. I coloured her and then couldn't find any papers that looked right  (how annoying is that??) so I decided to get out my starburst stains and make my own.

I made two sheets of backing paper using pale pink and green shades of starburst stains on copier paper (I used alpine ice rose, ramblin rose pink, eidelweiss moss greeen and a little gator gumbo olive - you've got to love the names they give these colours lol). I covered one sheet with cling film and scrunched the other up and left them to dry.

Guinevere is coloured with promarkers and has green glitter for a bit of extra bling in her hair and on her headband. I cut her out with a nestie and a gold mat too. I used the scrunched paper for the main background and punched a border from the cling film bp. The lace is from WOC and the ribbon from Crafty Ribbons. I used the leftover scrunched background to make the flower - punched 3 flowers with a woodware punch, layered themup and added a gold centre and a rose from WOC. The flourishes are made from gold mirri card cut with a marianne creatable die. To finish off I added some faux pearls and dew drops from Crafty Emma's Store. I'm really pleased with the flower, especially as its just made from copier paper lol, you can see it better in this pic. 

Today our spotlight Saturday post at MPS is giving all the DT members chance to talk about their favourite charities. Its hard to choose a favourite charity but Rethink and Mind the two big mental health charities are very close to my heart (in fact I work for a small branch of Mind). I'm going to be doing a local craft fair later in the year ( a scary thought) and hopefully my cards will make a little money for our charity. Things are very difficult for small charities at the minute so every penny counts.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Cardmaking Mama's: embellish it

Crafts and Me: glitter

Freshly Brewed: flowers

Going grey with scrap creations: recipe challenge, my ingredients are ribbon, glitter and pearls

Mami Doodles: Use a punch or die cut

Pixie Dust: Lace it up

Tellen's Place: Sparkle and Lace

The Stamping Boutique: handmade flowers

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you are having a good weekend. After a nightmare of a week at work I've been out weeding and taken all my frustration out on all the poor dandelions lol, now I've had chance to chill out I'm going to have a couple of hours in my craftroom :-)

Claire xx

Easter challenge at Digi's With Attitude!

Hi there, well its time for a new challenge over at Digi's With Attitude! and this week our challenge is to make an Easter themed project. You don't have to use a Digi's With Attitude! image but if you have one we'd love to see you use it :-) Our lucky winner will receive a fab prize of a $25 gift certificate from our generous sponsor 'The Robin's Nest'

Its a really exciting week for us as Cindy-Lynn has opened a brand new store and all those gorgeous Digi's With Attitude! images have a new home. The new store is amazing, it looks fab,  its a lot easier to find your way around and there is a lot of inspiration too so pop over to the new Digi's With Attitude store and  check it out!! Everyone who signs the 'guestbook' at the new store over the weekend will be entered into a draw to win a $10 gift certificate to spend in the store AND thats not all ... there is also a sale with 20% off everything, even the fab new released - just quote the code GRANDOPENING2011 at the checkout to get your discount :-)

For my card I've used this beautiful new image 'Bunny Tween' available in the Digi's With Attitude! store here. Bunny Tween is adorable isn't she? I thought she had a kind of retro feel once I'd coloured her and found these gorgeous Easter bps over at Raspberry Road Designs.

Bunny Tween is coloured with promarkers and cut out before being layered up on a couple of heart shaped doileys. I've used a MS punch on the bp borders, added some gold satin ribbon and some lace from my stash. The paper roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the daffodils are from my stash. The main bp is distressed with my craft knife and has pale gold dewdrops from Crafty Emma's Store in the corners.

I'm entering Bunny Tween in the following challenges:

Aly's Sunday Challenge: bunnies

Corrosive challenge: Pastel colours

Craft us Crazy: Happy Easter/Spring

Delicious Doodles: Ribbons for Easter

Digital Tuesday: Easter parade

Everybody Art Challenge: Easter

I love promarkers: Easter

My partner in crafting crime: Layer it up

Simon Says: Spring colours/Easter

Ooh La La: Happy Easter

The Pink Elephant: Easter

Papertake Weekly: anything goes + optional extra of something new (Bunny Tween is a new image)

Sarah Hurley Challenge: Easter

Scrappy Frogs: Flowers and lace

A Spoon Full of Sugar: tons of texture

Stamps R Us: Easter

I 'm counting down to Easter now as I have almost 2 weeks off work so making this card has really got me in the mood to celebrate Easter. I hope you can join our Easter Challenge this week, pop over to the Digi's With Attitude! store and check out the fab new images and the sale too :-)

Claire xx

Raise a smile at Crafty Ann's

This week Crafty Ann wants us to 'Raise a Smile' for the new challenge at

Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog

 so you can make a funny card or just a card to cheer someone up.. As always the lucky winner will receive a fab prize from Crafty Ann's Digi Store.

For my DT card, I've used this cute 'Duck in Umbrella' , the buttons from Crafty Ann's 'Embellishment sheet' and also one of Crafty Ann's Embossed Flower bps.

The image is coloured with promarkers and has a little glitter on the puddle and some glossy accents on the raindrops. The sentiment is a stamp from Chocolate Baroque, its hard to see properly but it reads 'Into every life a little rain must fall, Call me anytime you need an umbrella', i thought it woulld be perfect with this image.

The image and sentiment are both cut out with nesties Labels 4 and matted on some yellow card. The buttons are also coloured with promarkers. To finish off I've added yellow gingham ribbon from my stash

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

C.R.A.F.T: animals/pets

Craft your passion: anything goes

Crafty Creations: april showers

Creative Card Crew: april showers

Gingerloft: the blues

Guylou's Inimitability: Umbrellas

The Outlawz greetings challenge: april showers bring May flowers

Marks Finest papers: spotlight an animal

Papertake Weekly: Anything goes (plus something new - no new stash but this is the first time i've used this cute little ducky image)

Sassie Studio Designs: april showers

Sentimental Sunday: Let's get wet

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you're going to raise a smile with us at Crafty Ann's. If you need some ideas pop over to my teamies blogs and check out their lovely cards (links in sidebar)

Claire xx

Lilac wine with the Rainbow Lady

Time for a new challenge over at Rainbow Lady's challenge blog and this week our topic is 'Lilac Wine'. As usual we have a fab sponsor and this week our lucky winner will receive a  prize from Joanna Sheen

Here's my DT card for this week, I had to get my thinking cap on as I wasn't sure where to start with this weeks theme but then I found this beautiful digistamp from Squigglefly which I thought would be perfect

The image is coloured with promarkers and the glass is triple embossed with clear EP. I distressed the edges with lots of distress ink in shades of green

The bp is from Artylicious 'Essence of Nature' cd printed in green on one side of the paper and lilac on the other. I lightly drew around the edges of the image on the reverse of the bp and then cut an 'x' over the image shape, I stamped and embossed a swirly corner from Chocoloate Baroque in the corners and used a gold krylon pen along the edges. I rolled each side of the 'x' back and stuck the corners down with a little glue.

I embossed a large swirly corner on the corners of the bp and then layered it up over the image.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Cards for Men: Embossing

Creatalicious: two tone

Catch the bug: Anything goes

Die Cut Dreams: Use a food themed digi

I did it creations: anything goes

Make it Monday: Anything goes

Stamp -n-doodle: Shabby chic or vintage

Totally Papercrafts: One for the boys

Thanks for visitng today, I'm looking forward to seeing your 'Lilac Wine' creations. If you need some inspiration, pop over and check out my talented teamies blogs for some more ideas:-)

Claire xx

Surprise your Mom at Michelle Perkett Studio

It doesn't seem 2 minutes since our last challenge at Michelle Perkett Studio but its Tuesday again so its time for a new challenge and this week our theme is

'SURPRISE YOUR MOM'

It was Mother's Day on Sunday here in the UK and I don't think its long until our friends in Europe celebrate their Mothers Day. I've used this lovely image 'Thanks Mum' for this card, I love the cute little girl cudding her mum ... so sweet! You can find this gorgeous image in Michelle's Etsy Store

As usual the image is coloured wiht promarkers and this time I've carefully cut it out. I've used a bp from the lovely 'Essence of Nature' cd by Artylicious and highlighted the swirls with faux pearls using my viva pearl pen. The image is layered up on a lovely square doiley and to finish off I've added plenty of lilac and white flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and a pretty charm from Bunny Zoe's crafts.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Craft Your Passion: Anything goes

Crazy Challenge: Add flowers

Creative Inspirations: Mother's Day

Delicious Doodles: For Mum

I did it creations: Anything goes

Kaboodle Doodles: Lets get Girly

Paper Play: for mum

Sarah Hurley Challenge: Mums the word

Scrapbook Sisters: for mum

Stamp Something: April Digi Day

Thanks for visiting today, if you're a UK mum I hope you had a wonderful day on Sunday, my son certainly surprised me as for the first time in years I got a card and pressie :-)

 I hope you can join our challenge at Michelle Perkett Studio this week, you can pick up an image from Michelle's Etsy Store or why not  grab a freebie from Michelle's group on Papercraft Planet.

We're planning a fun Easter Bunny Blog Hop for the weekend of April 16/17th with prizes and lots of fun too, you can find out more and sign up to join in here

Claire xx

Don't miss out!!

There's a new challenge over at Let's Ink It Up , no card from me though as its Suzanne and her talented team hosting this challenge, they have a fab Easter theme and a great prize up for grabs too!!

The challenge is sponsored by 'Scrappit' who are offering the lucky winner a fab A$20.00 voucher for their store

So get out those rubber/clear stamps (no digi's allowed thouhgh) and join our 'Easter' challenge! You've got to be in it to win it!! Make sure you visit my talented teamies blogs as they have some really beautiful creations to inspire you :-)

Claire xx

Wooo hoooo!! Guest Designer over at CD Sunday :-)

I was over the moon when I was invited to be this month's GDT over at CD Sunday, not only because its such a great challenge but also because I have some good friends on the team too.

This weeks challenge is 'For Someone Special' and its sponsored by Cute Daisy May, and I was lucky enough to be able to use this gorgeous digistamp (you can find her at Whoopsi Daisy). She's such a beautiful stamp, I really enjoyed colouring her, especially all that lovely hair.

When I first started crafting I used CDs a lot but I've got more into stamping and my poor cds have been sat on a shelf in my craft room gathering dust. Anyway I dusted them off and had a good browse and I found loads of goodies I'd forgotten about.  For this cd I've used a bp from Artylicious 'Essence of Nature' CD, I must admit I do use this cd quite a bit as the backing papers are stunning but I had a really good look through it and found all sorts of things I'd never used. I printed the circular frame off twice and decoupage it up to giveit a bit of dimension. I edged the frame and bp with a gold kryon pen. I stamped and embossed a background using tree stamps from Elusive images on some vellum and inked in a sun.

I coloured the image with promarkers and added some glitter to her wings and the flowers in her hair. As its a card for someone special, I added loads of flowers. The large ones are also printed from Artylicious 'Essence of Nature' CD, cut out sprized with glimmer mist and scrunched up before being layerd up with glittery centres. The rest of the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and have been glittered. The lovely little charm is from Bunny Zoe's crafts and the pearls are from my stash

You can see the vellum background and the layered frame a little better in this pic

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts: Blooming blossoms

By the Cute and Girly: Cute and Girly

Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Happy Birthday with lots of pearls

Cardmaking Mama's : Embellish it

Charisma Cardz:Bling and Sparkle

Crafty Calendar: April Showers bring May flowers

Do you stack up? :Clear, light pink and mauve (I hope my vellum counts as clear)

Incy Wincy: Sparkle and Shine

Little Claires: Spring Celebration

Stampin Vacation: Square and circles

Stamp Something: April Digi day

Whoopsi Daisy: glitter and glitz

Thanks for calling by today, I hope you'll dust of those crafting cds and join this weeks challenge over at CD Sunday and of course pop over and check out the DTs fab cards as the ladies have come up with some beautiful creations.

Claire xx

Best Friends ....

I love Saturday mornings, its great to get up and not rush out to work isn't it? I'm making the most of a lazy day today, in fact its almost lunchtime and I'm still in my pjs lol. Hubby is going to the football today so I'm planning on an afternoon in my craft room but before I go here's my card for today. Isn't this image adorable? Its one of the gorgeous new images from Michelle Perkett, Michelle has been on a roll lately with some stunning new digital stamps so pop over to Michelle's Etsy Store and have a look round :-)

I coloured the image with my trusty promarkers and added a little spiced marmalade distress ink around the edge. The bps are from DCWV, ribbon as usual is from the fabby Crafty Ribbons. I punched a scrap of card with an EK success scalloped punch and used it to make a little concertina flower which has a little jewelled brad in the centre.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafts and me: Yellow

Crazy Challenge: Sweet teens

Delightful challenges: flowers

Oh La La: Mother's Day or special friend

Partytime Tuesday: anything goes with a handmade flower

Pollycraft: Friends

Simply Create: Do it yourself

Stamp Something: april digi day

Tuesday Throwdown: Florals

You still have time to enter this weeks challenge at Michelle Perkett Studio, the theme is Make your flowers bloom so if you haven't got one of Michelle's gorgeous images (why not?? lol) then pop over to her group on PCP and grab one of the fab freebies and join in this weeks challenge ... you've got to be in it to win it lol.

Claire xx



A new challenge and a new DT spot with Digi's With Attitude!

I was sooooooo excited to get an email from Cindy-Lynn inviting me to join the DT at Digi's With Attitude! I loved my time as GDT for them in January so I was over the moon to rejoin the team and work with such fabulous images and such lovely friendly crafters . I can't say ladies though as we have a very talented young man called Tristan on the DT now:-)  Today is our big day and  its time for the relaunch of Digi's With Attitude! challenges and this time we have a nice easy one for you:

'Anything Goes'

I've used this amazing image 'Tabatha and Tony' for my card, pop over to the Digi's With Attitude! shop here and check them out (and the rest of the Animals with Attitude! too). You don't have to use a Digi's With Attitude!  image to enter the challenge but we'd love to see you use one if you can. Our lucky winner will recieve a $10 Gift Certificate for Digi's With Attitude!

I've printed the image onto encaustic art card, masked a moon and  the image with Eclipse tape and then brayered the background using dye inks and stamped in the grassed using rubber stamps from Elusive Images Eastern grasses themeplate. I inked around Tabatha and Tony using black dye ink and a make up sponge before I removed the mask to ground them. I coloured the image with promarkers, they give a totally different finish on this coated cardstock and don't blend as well as they do on ordinary card but i quite like the effect (as long as you don't look too closely lol)

The bp is printed from Joanna Sheen's Eastern Treasures CD, its a really neutral colour so I distressed it with lots of spiced marmalde distress ink to make it look a little more tigerish lol.

I've added some bright orange ribbon and a concertina flower. I made the concertina flower by punching some orange paper with a MS doiley lace punch once i'd concertina'd it I added a large black button and some orange fibres from my stash. To finish off i've added some little dots of Ranger black Enamel accents.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Ho's: photo inspiration

Creative Card Crew: for a child

Digital Tuesday: For the kids

Ladybug Crafts Ink: Handmade flower

Make it colourful: Colouring backgrounds

Pile it on: cutie patootie

The house that stamps built:scenic card

Paper playtime: anything goes

Squigglefly: Make your own patterned paper

Southern Girls: Add an animal

Stampin B's: Make a background with stamps

Thanks for calling by, I hope you're going to join us for our challenge

 this week at Digi's With Attitude!

Claire xx

Night at the Movies with the Rainbow Lady

Hi there, when I saw the new challenge at Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog, 'A Night at the Movies' my first though was Harry Potter as I just LOVE Harry Potter films although to be honest I much prefer the books (you don't what to know how many times i've read them .... I'm such a geek lol). Anyway I had to have a go at a 'Harry Potter' ish scene  although I didn't have a Harry Potter stamp so you'll have to use your imagination a little lol.

As well as a new challenge topic this week we have a fab new sponsor 'Time to Sow' so make sure you pop over the challenge blog to get your entry in to be in with a chance of a fab prize!

The background is masked and brayered using Mountain Meadow big&juicy ink pad with black brayered over the sky. The tree stamps are all from Elusive Images and I'm not sure where the castle is from, its been uninked in my stash for ages so it was  a good time to give it an airing!

I painted the dragon and unicorn with twinkling H2os and decoupaged them up a layer with foam pads. I was really stuck for a wizardy character until i remembered the fab 'Magical Alchemey' digistamp from Michelle Perkett, I love this stamp, he makes a perfect  Dumbledore but i've also used him in the past for Father Christmas coloured in red and white. This time I coloured him with promarkers and added a little bit of yellow feather to his hat.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew: For a child

Daring Cardmakers: The Book Club

Digital Tuesday: for the kids

Going grey with scrap creations: Fairy tales 

The House that Stamps built: A scenic card

The Sisterhood of Crafters: Let's hear it for the boys

I've really enjoyed making this card. its been a while since I played with my trusty brayer :-)

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you're going to join our challenge this week.

Claire xx