Miss Anya blooms and grows

I've been fortunate enough to have the last 3 days off work due to the bad weather, the only one at home who hasn't had to go to work, how lucky am I? The boys have still had to do their paper round which surprises me. I had hoped to make a lot more cards but seemed to have spent the time doing jobs which I didn't get done over the holidays like clearing cupboards and the kids rooms :-s I have also done a bit of quilting, watch this space for the finished article.

I made this card a couple of days ago but didn't want to post it before as its for a friend who looks at my blog.



The papers were still on my desk from the previous card and the image is from a RAK from my lovely bloggy friend Susie, thank you so much those images which are gorgeous and the prize which I won from the 'Touch of Gold' challenge at Susie's challenge blog. Just look at these lovely goodies.



I am entering this card for 2 challenges, Just Christmas and Birthday cards which is a sketch challenge and Roses on Paper which is to use your favourite colouring medium - I used copics and distress ink.

Hope you are all keeping safe and warm in this chilly weather. We have just slipped down to the local Waitrose to top up on essential supplies, I've never seen it so busy...

Just wondering if the snow forecast for this weekend will happen or not, got mixed feelings about it, would like life to return to normal but am also enjoying the unexpected time off work :-)

Creative Card Crew - Distressing

The challenge this week at Creative Card Crew is 'distressing'
I saw a card in blogland this week which was using the MME Bloom & Grow papers, so I dug mine out as I haven't used them in ages.



The image is one I got before Christmas which hasn't seen ink yet, I think she is just so cute. Coloured with copics and distress inks, I distressed the edges of the textured card, although its not too clear in the picture unless you get a close up!
Love the colours on this card, one of my fav combos and it was great to make a card that's not Christmas!

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with this week.....

Peace and quiet at last....

Day off today, got the house to myself, the sun is shining, could it get any better?
Thought I would start off with a card - before I tackle the chores:-(



This card is for 2 challenges, Just Magnolia which is to use handmade flowers (I really must buy the larger retro flower punch....) and Basic Grey which is a sketch that is great to work with - I even decorated the inside of the card!
I coloured the images with Distress Inks, and layered the Tilda using silicon glue just to ensure I got the correct positioning, I wanted to cover the strawberries at the top of the box.
I used some of Chocolate Box card, scrunched it up and used a sanding block to reveal the pink core, not tried this before, quite pleased with how it turned out although most of it is hidden under the upper layers!
Punches are from SU! except the lil' retro flower which is an X-Cut one.

I feel a few more challenges coming on but ought to put my washing out now and get some coffee and toast... have a great day whatever you are doing, hope to be back later.

A Magnolia fall card.... 2 challenges

Finally, a card that has gone right the first time today.....
I made a couple of cards earlier today that were to say the least challenging, one is on its way to the recipients now, well sat in the post box, and the other is for the Creative Card Crew challenge this week, so be sure to take on a look on Tuesday morning.



Had a flick through the challenges about this week and this card is a combination of 2, the sketch at Sketch & Stamp and the theme of distressing at A Spoon Full of Sugar.Anyone who knows me knows I don't do distressing, well not on my cards anyway! I tried ripping and tearing a piece of card but just didn't like it on my card, it looked messy so I afraid girls this is as distressed as it gets.... I used my distress inks and a Heidi Swapp distressing tool.

Image - Magnolia Fall kit
Sentiment - Oval All, Stampin Up!
Colouring - Distress inks
Papers - K & Co, DCWV
Glittery heart & brads from stash.

My boys are back to school and my daughter starts Uni, I swapped my day off last week for tomorrow, so looking forward to some quiet time! I've got lots of housework to catch up with, you know what its like when the kids have been off and we had the new banisters fitted yesterday, so a bit dusty round here.... Hoping to fit in some crafting, especially as I bought a pack of Jelly Rolls yesterday, material, not sweets, to have a go at some more patchwork.

Had better go and tidy up my craft room before I go off to bed.
Back tomorrow with a card in a tin I made at a workshop yesterday and a picture of the patchwork I made recently.

Get Sketchy - week 3

Here's my card for Get Sketchy's challenge this week. I thought it was about time I inked up some of the images from my Magnolia fall kit which was on the doormat when we arrived home from our hols last Friday. They are such gorgeous stamps, I spent most of yesterday evening colouring the different images, hence no completed cards made....

I stamped the image in Memento Rich Cocoa and coloured with distress inks, I know I always seem to use the Shabby Shutters and Spiced Marmalade colours, I really do need to buy some more, gonna have a lot online tonight - any suggestions for must have colours? Thinking I need Faded Jeans, Fired Brick, Milled Lavender.

I dug deep into my paper stash and used some Basic Grey papers, a scrap which I ran through a CB embossing folder and distressed the edges and embossing.
Hope you like.....
Am off to make another card now, hopefully in time for Just Magnolia challenge - fingers crossed!

Butterfly Tilda goes 3D......

As mentioned in my previous post, here's the project I've been working on over the last couple of days along with commissions and the odd spot of painting - watercolour where I can get away with it, otherwise emulsion :-(

Create 4 Fun challenge this week is a template to make a tag bag. Well my printer is throwing a wobbly, so I cheated a little on this one and cut my tags using a Sizzix red die and stuck those to a box, dimensions look about the same as the template, so hoping thats OK.



The Just Magnolia challenge this week is friendship and the Just Magnolia Monthly challenge is to 3D an image, so thought I would combine all 3 challenges and make the tag bag, which I haven't filled as I wanted you to be able to see the inside which I have decorated with offcuts of paper and a matching card.

Here's the other side of the tag bag. I felt it needed a bit more detail, so dug out some headpins and beads to add that bit of bling!



I love this image, these colours and papers, although I'm not sure I will be working with them again for a while, especially after water colouring about 6 images of Tilda, I was seeing Shabby Shutters and Spiced Marmalade in my sleep LOL!





There are 2 layers of Tilda on the tag bag and 4 on the card. I really enjoyed this technique, I hadn't thought of doing this to stamped images although not quite sure why, decoupage has never been a favourite of mine although I loved making medallion cards when I first started card making.

Anyway off to enjoy the sun while its out and do a spot of colouring, hope to catch up on some blog hopping later tonight.

Just Magnolia at the beach

Had to ink up a couple of the Lazy Summer Days stamps for the challenge at Just Magnolia this week which is a sketch with the option of a tag.



Another attempt with the distress inks on this one, think I'm getting there with these lil babies but not finding them as easy to use as markers, I have a tendency to overwet the paper or it bleeds onto a different area :-(.

Stamps - Lazy Summer Days from Magnolia
Papers - DCWV Citrus stack, purple cs is like Bazzil Bling
Inks - Distress inks, Memento - Rich Cocoa
Tools - Punches from SU!, EK Success, X-Cut
Embellies - Bead caps - Bead Cafe, Brads - Papermania

Trapped in my craft room!

I've been confined to barracks today as the plasterer was in skimming the walls and ceiling in the hall, stairs and landing, so I took advantage of this and shut myself in my craft room.
I managed some blog hopping, caught up on a few challenges, made a few cards and made some inroads into the pile of half finished projects!



This card has been designed with 2 challenges in mind, using the sketch this week on Papertake Weekly, and the theme of 'Floral Frenzy' at My Time To Craft.

I coloured Daisy using my distress inks, mounted onto various offcuts of card that were on my desk and Basic Grey papers as the base layer. I added a little bit of bling on either side of the main image and to the flower centres. The sentiment is from the Oval All set stamped onto shapes cut with the large oval and scalloped oval punches.

Another early start tomorrow as the plasterer is back, let's hope the weather is a bit better, with a bit of luck the plaster will dry out a bit quicker, I hate that horrible damp smell of new plaster.

Another obsession!

I'm gonna blame Bev for this new obsession of mine - distress inks... thanks very much sweetie!
I had no interest whatsoever in these inks until I saw Bev colour an image with them at Newbury - well I just had to have some to have a play with - I bought several reinkers rather than the pads to try, no prizes for guessing whats coming next - yup you've guessed, had to buy some of the ink pads, some cut n dry foam, now on a mission to collect the set - I just love working with them, need some more practice tho!



Anyway onto my card which I am entering in for 3 challenges - its the only way to go these days with so many challenges about.

The challenges are:-
- Just Magnolia, distressing
- Sunday Sketch and Stamp, wasn't too keen on the sketch at first but it's grown on me
- Dutch Dare, to use lace

I used images and a sentiment from the Lazy Summer Magnolia kit, MME Bloom & Grow papers and of course distress inks. I don't usually do messy, if you look at the state of my craft room when I have got my stash all over the place you may not agree with me there but generally I like everything neat and tidy so this wasn't too easy for me. I used a Heidi Swapp distressing tool for the edges on the green layer but could only bring myself to distress the edges on one layer, didn't want it to look scruffy - daft thing is I love it when I see all the other distressed edges out there in blogland. I used cut & dry felt to tint the edges of the other layers and am really pleased with how this turned out.

Lazy Summer Magnolia

Here's one of my much awaited Lazy Summer Magnolia stamps, coloured with distress inks. I find it so relaxing painting with these inks, although I need lots of practice with them, tried another one tonight which ended up in the bin as the colours bled.
I love this image, conjures up images of summer - wonder when it will get here??
This weather is definately making me think we should have booked a holiday abroad this year, there's still time tho!
I'm going to enter this card to the Just Magnolia challenge this week, which is a great sketch.

My first attempt with distress inks

I have never used distress inks before but after seeing Bev use them at Newbury, I had to have some! Here is my firt attempt using them, it was very theraputic painting with them, think I need to get some more colours.....



I'm going to enter this card for 2 challenges the first is Just Magnolia, a sketch this week by Mina. I used my Butterfly Tilda stamp that I got at Newbury, still not received my summer kit, grrrrr..... I dug deep for this Papermania double sided paper, really like the colour tones, which pick up the colours in the main image.
The challenge at Creative Inspirations is to use gems and/or pearls, more Newbury purchases, lovely Kaiser craft pearls, an absolute bargain, had to get them in all of the colours LOL!! Flower punch from XCut, MS border punch, SU tag punches and sentiment, image coloured with distres inks and twinkling H2Os.

Am off to finish off the ironing now, got last bit of school uniform to do :-( still only 1 more weekend, then 6 weeks off, for me and the kids - yippee!!!! Lots of crafting time.