Bargain watercolour paper at WHSmith

Didn't manage to post anything yesterday, couldn't get the laptop off of Barry, we are supposed to share it, but I do have it most of the time!

Just thought I would let you know about a bargain I got hold of today.
I was out shopping with my boys in Portsmouth, had to have a mooch around WHSmith and discovered a right bargain - Daler Rowney Watercolour Aquarelle paper on half price sale. I recently bought a pad of 16 sheets for £6.99 and this pad has 50 sheets 12" x 9" for £4.99. I resisted the urge to buy more than one, how I just don't know!!

Anyway off to make a card or two, will be back later.

Miss Anya at Passion for Promarkers

Here's my card for the challenge at Passion for Promarkers this week. The colours are Pastel Pink and Cool Aqua and there is a great sketch to follow.



I struggled to find papers to go with the pastel pink, but finally found one in a Kay & Co paper stack which I thought went quite well, discovered some gorgeous mulberry paper which had traces of the 2 colours of the week running through it, how lucky was that and some aqua coloured bazzil type card. I really love the Miss Anya stamps, can't wait to get my hands on the new set!
I was quite pleased with this card, it looks much better IRL, my photography skills are up to much and it looks quite plain in the picture. I will probably stamp the sentiment again in an aqua colour as the pastel pink doesn't show up very well.

What's a girl to do when there's no electricity!

More plastering today, but its finished now thank goodness, just need to wait for it to dry out, then the painting, the woodwork, new bannisters and new carpet. Confined to barracks again but without electricity!! Just managed to persuade myself that I really did need the new Sugar Nellie Manga Kids stamps, that are back in stock, went to go online to buy them only to find there was no internet connection :-(.
Was told it would be off for about an hour, 4 hours later I was chomping at the bit to buy new rubba, fortunately by the time I got online there were still some in stock so guess I'll be stalking the postman later on this week!

In the meantime I had to amuse myself crafting - such a shame ;-)



I am entering this card for 2 challenges,
- Copic Colour Challenge - which is to use BG02, RV02 & YG03. I had to use BG01 has I haven't got BG02 yet!
- Secret Crafter sketch challenge, a great one to work with.

The papers are from a Kay & Co pad I bought recently, coloured with copics with a bit of glamour dust for that little bling. The snowflakes were punched using a Martha Stewart punch, sentiment, large oval and scalloped oval punches from SU!

Quite funny really, made a summery card yesterday (for a DT call, so can't post it yet!) when the weather was drab and a Christmas card today when the sun was shining!

Looking forward to house to myself tomorrow, need to catch up on some chores and got 4 birthday cards to make for this week, August is always a busy birthday month in the Sinclair family!

Anyone for Anya - DT Call

I've just discovered there's a new challenge blog to be launched on 25 August, see below for further details.

Do you love The Greetings Farms's Anya and her friends?

Well if you do, how do you fancy being part of our design team?

We have a fabulous team in place, but we are currently on the lookout for some talented girlies to join us, so if you are able to commit to one card a week, and have a blog which you update regularly, then why not get in touch!! If you are NOT yet on a design team, please DON'T let that put you off.

Visit the Anyone for Anya blog for further info.

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.

Get Sketchy launches 14 August

There is a brand new challenge blog launching on 14th August. To celebrate the launch there is some lovely stash up for grabs - Cosmo Cricket papers - now who wouldn't like some of those? Why not visit Get Sketchy to check out the deets?

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.

Another late night!

I've had a lovely relaxing day today, colouring some of the lazy summer magnolias with distress inks, postie delivered a couple more ink pads for me today so I had a bit more choice! None of the images have yet made it onto a card but I hope to do that tomorrow.



I also had a delivery from SU! today, so have been playing with some new stash this evening. I've got some birthday BBQ invites to make, (still got a few more to make tomorrow) I got the inspiration from one of my blogging buddies Sarah Jane, you can see her invite here, thanks Sarah Jane, just what I needed.
I had to have the Cheers stampin around which I inked onto white cardstock and coloured with various pens and accented the salt cellar and ice cubes with glossy accents. The wording on the front is from the Sincere Salutations set.
CS - Whisper White, Brilliant Blue
Ink - Basic Black, Brilliant Blue
Stamps - Sincere Salutations, Cheers stampin around roller, wording on inside of invite from a Royal & Langnickle set from the Paper Mill.
Tools - punches, 1" circle, scalloped oval & large oval.

Am off to bed now, can just about keep my eyes open as I finish this post.

Last minute again...

Here's my entry for this week's Copic Colour challenge, using a Miss Anya that was waiting patiently to be inked up. The colours this week are R35 Coral, YG63 Pea Green and YR04 Chrome Orange, I didn't have any of those, boy do I need to go shopping! I used R32 Peach, YG03 Yellow Green and YR02 and a handful of others that are back in the rack now, trying to tidy as I craft atm..... ha ha how long with that last! I've made this card at the breakfast bar as there's no clear worktop in my craft room, guess what I'm up to tomorrow? I've been browsing the internet tonight, defo gonna have to get some more copics, notice the price of them has gone up quite a bit lately :-(

I'm going to enter this card for the Sketch & Stash challenge this week, as I've used the sketch. My copics and the swirl punch are my new stash, had them since the beginning of the month - is that still considered new? paper and stamps I've had for a while and not used tho!! but don't tell Barry....