Colour Blocking

Good afternoon,

I have had a busy morning finishing off a few projects that I had started earlier in the week but hadn't gotten round to finishing. Earlier this week I was checking out challenge blogs that I like and Hand Stamped Sentiments had technique that I had never heard of before called colour blocking, now I hope I have this right, I masked of areas with post-it notes and using my spritzing tool I added colour blocks. Masking each one off before I did the next so I didn't get a brown mess where they overlapped. I used Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, and Lucky Limeade.

I wanted to use a large sentiment over my colour blocks, so I pulled out an old retired set called Happy Everything, I wanted to add a bit a glitz so I went round the edges of the coloured blocks with a glitter pen, before stamping and punching out a cupcake, from the create a cupcake set. If you look closely you should be able to see it sparkling in the sunshine.

See you again soon I hope! xx

Paper Players Design Team Call

Good morning!

A week ago I saw that The Paper Players were having a design team call, since then I have been thinking about whether I should enter myself or not, and today I came to the decision that I should!

As most of you already know from my Saturday morning posts, and I already part of a Design Team for Simply Stampin' which I recently took over the running of with another member of the DT, when I entered the call to be on their Design Team I never thought I would get it and when I did, I was so nervous, but now I absolutely LOVE it! I love to see how everyone interprets the size theme, or sketch etc differently.

The ladies of at The Paper Players have asked that anyone entering posts on their blog with three of their favourite projects they have made, I don't know about you, but I always find it hard to choose, usually whatever I've made last tends to be my fav, so here goes,

First up this Melon Mambo tag card,

Next up is a notebook I made for my friend at Christmas,

and lastly I will have to go with the engagement card I made for my sister and her fiancée.

I hope you have enjoyed my blast from my blog past!

Happy crafting, xx

Simply Stampin - Lace

Good morning,

Saturday already! where does the time go? Well if you are anything like me then there is only one way to start your Saturday morning, and that's with a crafty challenge, and this week over at Simply Stampin' we are asking you to use lace on your projects, so head on over there to check out what the rest of the design team have come up with!

I have used my crochet lace trim to make two cute little flowers, it was sew (sorry I couldn't help myself) easy, just a running stitch down one side, pull and voila! a pretty lace flower!

I wanted to go for the vintage style for this weeks card, so out came the Artistic etchings stamps, and they work so beautifully with the Vintage wallpaper embossing folder, I brayered one side of the folder with Pretty in Pink before I put my CS inside, so if you look closely you can see the indentations are pink!

Here is a close up of the tag I made for the front of this card

You can see a bit more of the detail here, I used a a retired background stamp to give texture (but I'm sorry I can't remember the name of it, if someone knows please leave me a comment) I then layered over the script stamp from Charmed stamped in Sahara Sand, I used the little crowns from the Elementary Elegance set in Pretty in Pink and Rich Razzleberry, with the Eiffel Tower taking pride of place, the sentiment is from the Create a cupcake set, all topped off with a knot of Razzleberry ribbon.

If you'd like to get lacey with us then pop over and join in, we'd love to see you there!

Happy Stampin', xx

Storage Project

Good afternoon,

** warning, this is a picture heavy post, you want want to grab a drink**

On Friday afternoon I was given a wooden seed tray as a gift, it was far too good to use in the garden, and us crafters always need more storage space, so I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

Here is how it started out, 

Firstly I painted it purple

A few coats of cream next

Next came the really fun bit, I sanded the edges and corners to reveal little touches of the purple paint underneath, grabbed my Rich Razzleberry ink and and couple of stamps (flourish from Everything Eleanor, and butterfly from all a flutter) and got stamping.

Now it looks like this!

Now it take take pride of place on my desk.

Thanks Ruth and Tony!

Simply Stampin Colour Challenge

Good morning,

I loved what you did with last weeks sketch, it's great to see different creative spins on the same layout, but over at Simply Stampin' this week we have a colour challenge ready for you to sink your teeth into, it's gorgeously girly and I know you're just going to love it!

See what I mean, yummy!!

Well here's what I came up with using this beautiful combo,

First of all I heated embossed the medallion stamp in Wisteria Wonder I've added a little glitter to my embossing powder for extra glitz! Then I sponged through the pattern with Melon Mambo, I made a rosette using the Cheerful Treat DSP, topped off with layers of Wisteria Wonder, Pretty in Pink, and an antique brad. Added my sentiment (this was another commissioned card) and a few butterflies from the Beautiful Wings Embosslits.

I hope you have as much fun with this combo as I did, I can't wait to see what you come up with!!

Happy crafting, xx

Proud Peacock

Good Evening!

Some of you may have noticed a new badge on my side bar? Well I was super excited to find when I checked my emails the other day that I had been chosen for Artists Pick over at Hand Stamped Sentiments, I was so surprised to be chosen!

Now onto a card, I made this one for Saffron at wok to give to her mum for her birthday a little while ago. It uses a new stamp set in the mini called Proud Peacock.

I wanted to use peacock colours for the card and also managed to sneak in some of my new fav DSP Spice Cake too. The flowers around the sentiment are also in the Proud Peacock set, I just used my handy Stamp-a-ma-jig and got colouring.

Hope you like it! xx

Simply Sweet Artistic Etchings

Good evening,

I really liked this weeks sketch over at the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, as you may have guessed by now I LOVE a good sketch, so I just had to join in this week, here it is

I really liked the triple element sections down the side but I wanted to mix mine up a little. I received some of the SAB sets this week so I had to include the gorgeous Everyday Enchantment DSP on my card, and the Elementary Elegance set works really well with the Artistic Etchings set, which I am falling in love with all over again!

I couldn't decide which of the new DSP was my favourite so I used three of them, because they all use the same colours you can mix and match them and they all co-ordinate perfectly. You can't really see in this picture, but I added a little sparkle to the frame around the sentiment, and the crowns.

Hope you've had a fab weekend, xx

Sketch Time At Simply Stampin'

Good morning,

Another freezing one, but I suppose we should be grateful that we don't have snow down here!

Anyway onto today's Simply Stampin' challenge, as the title says its another sketch, and it's a goody!

I have been busy lately making commission cards for a friend, and this is another that I have made for her.

It uses my favourite DSP of the moment Spice Cake, and I combined it with the Lovely as a tree set for my image, here's a close up

I coloured onto stamp directly with my markers and then stamped the image, I water coloured  the rest of the grass and then added a little more definition with the fine end of a marker over the top. To distress a little I used my Spritzer tool, a torn corner, which I stamped behind using A to Z, before sponging the edges of the whole panel.

I hope you can join me and the rest of the Design Team for this weeks challenge, I do love to see how everyone interprets the sketch differently.

Happy crafting, xx

Hand Stamped Sentiments Colour Challenge

Good morning,

Today I am playing along with a brand new to challenge to me, it's called Hand Stamped Sentiments and this week they have set a colour challenge,

I LOVE all these colours so I definitely wanted to have a go with these. I grabbed all the colour ink pads (although now I have checked the colours I actually grabbed Night of Navy instead of Not quite navy, opps) and my brayer, made a post-it mask for a moon, and started with the crumb cake at the bottom of my paper, next I layered over Baja Breeze, then Marina Mist, and finished off with Night of Navy. Next I stamped the blossoms from Easter Blossoms in Night of Navy and the sentiment from Delightful Dozen. I glittered all the flowers and around the edge of the moon, (very difficult to see in this picture).

I layered the brayered image onto Crumb Cake and this time the correct colour Not Quite Navy CS.
I really enjoyed making this card so while the brayer was still out, I also made a pink version, this time for a birthday.

Don't forget there is still time to join in this weeks Simply Stampin' Challenge which is 'Heartfelt'.

Happy crafting!! xx

Old Meets New

Good afternoon,

During the weekend I have been working on a very special card for a friend at work to give to her, son and Daughter-in-law to be, next week they will be getting married and I was honoured to be asked to make the wedding card.

I was asked for a Red, black and cream card, and I know that the bride is planning on having red roses in her bouquet, so I started off with my favourite retired set A rose is a rose, of course you can't make a wedding card with out another retired set I can't seem to let go of, Mr & Mrs.

I found the inspiration for the layout  on a sketch challenge called Freshly Made Sketches, a challenge that I've been meaning to enter for a long time, but never got around to

As you can see the sketch is meant to be a side opening DL card, but I was asked for an 8"x8" card, I hope the ladies don't mind that I've adapted it for my needs.

As I was asked to use red in the card, I choose the gorgeously deep Cherry Cobbler which fits perfectly with the PPA colour challenge

I stamped the flower spray from the Mr & Mrs stamp set  using my stamp-a-ma-jig, in alternate lines of Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black, to make the background paper, which means along with the rose that my card also fits the Paper Players challenge which this week is to use flowers on your card, perfect!

So without further a do ( or should that be I DO) here is the card

As you can see I've mixed my retired products with current ones, I love the Mocha Morning DSP, the texture is so great, and gives that luxurious feel, along with Black satin ribbon.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, xx

Simply Stampin' Heartfelt

Good morning,

wow! you certainly knew how to work those colours last week! this week is theme week and as Valentine's day is coming our way, the theme is 'heartfelt'. Head over to Simply Stampin' for this weeks inspiration from the design team, and enter your card, of course!

I have another commissioned card for you today, this gentleman is obviously a little more in touch with his feminine side than my boyfriend, as I was asked for red and lots of hearts,

Do you think I added enough hearts? I wanted to add ribbon, well if you can have a cascade of hearts then why not have ribbon, but I didn't want to go OTT, so I just tucked a little behind the sentiment.

Ok now it's your turn, I can wait to see all your 'heartfelt' creations.

Happy crafting

Forever Young with ColourQ

Good morning,

As soon as I saw this weeks colour combo over at ColourQ I knew I wanted to join in, I don't tend to use much Red but I like the colour so I thought, let's have a go!

Here is the colour palette for this week

Aren't those wooden heart gorgeous! I know these colours are calling out to make a valentines card with but I've already made my man his card, so I thought I would use the colours to make my friends birthday card.

I sponged Real Red around the Crumb Cake layer before stamping the tree from Forever Young in Basic Black, white ribbon was wrapped around to ground the tree. I then layered this onto a Basic Black matt. I then set to work stamping the frame in Regal Rose, Real Red and Basic Black, and my eyes went squiffy as I cut each frame out. I finished off the card with a greeting from the retired Plane and Simple set, cut with the Word Window punch and accented with an antique brad.

I saw a similar tag made on the internet a while back a remembered the lined up frames, but I'm afraid I can't remember where I saw it.

Don't forget to pop back tomorrow for the next Simply Stampin' challenge!