Pan Pastels And Fantasy

Today I've had the Pan Pastels out playing with them, along with my Lavinia stamps. I was quite pleased with the results so have decided to enter it into the My Time To Craft challenge this week, which just happens to be fantasy. I started with a 14x14 cm piece of white card, and used pink tint for the sky and violet tint for the ground, I used a very little of violet to just darken the tops of the hills. Then using a versamark ink pad I stamped the fairy, I used a small make up applicator to dab across the top of this with the violet. Next I added the branches, dandelion, mushrooms, and dragonflies, again with the versamark and this time dabbed the violet tint across the surface. The versamark picks up the pastel and leaves it a deeper shade, just enough to give a lovely pale colour. I then added some small stars around the fairy and dragonflies, added some glitter, I also added some to the branches. As I don't have any sealer for the Pan Pastels, I sprayed some hairspray into the air and waffted the picture through it in the hope that it will work as well. I mounted it onto some silver mirri card and then onto a 6x6 inch card base, and added some flowers from my stash.

Thank you for taking the time to look. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue

CD Sunday - Mainly Men

The challenge at the CD Sunday blog this week is Mainly Men, so I was able to make my Son's birthday card for this challenge. Apart from cars (which I covered in last Sunday's challenge), he loves motorbikes. I've used Debbi Moore's Cards For Men CD this week, and the image of the motorbike comes from the decoupage section. The backing paper that I used has a map of the US and route 66 on, while hubby and I were there recently we travelled along part of the route while travelling towards Chicago. I ran a dark brown promarker around the edge of the page rather than use a mat. The badge of route 66 is on the backing paper so I took a snapshot and printed another so that I could decoupage it on top of the backing paper. I also took a snapshot of the sentiment plate, and took this into MCS where I re sized it and copied it, then rotated it so they could face each other, then added the text. I just added some card candi to one corner to finish.

Thank you for taking the time to look. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue

All In A Row

It's time again for another challenge over on My Craft Creations blog, which this time is sponsored by Joanna Sheen and Sheila has provided a lovely sketch to follow this time.

For my card I've chosen to used this lovely stamp from Lil Of The Valley called All In A Row. I bought this last year at the NEC and have to admit that this is the first time it's been used, so it will also qualifies for Judith's Forgotten Friday challenge. I stamped and coloured the image using a Memento ink pad, and promarkers. The backing papers are from Bearly Mine Designs and these have been mounted onto some green and red mirri card, which came from my bit's and piece's box. I used a 6x6 white card base and added a ribbon with Happy Christmas printed onto it across the corner. Finally I added some red mirri card corners cut from a Marianne die, some red card candi, and some Prima flowers from my stash, just popping a couple of gold card candi to the centres and the leaves which are from a crealie die.

Thank you for taking the time to look. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue

Pan Pastels Challenge 28 - Magical And Mystical

This is the last card that I was asked to make for this weekend and it's being picked up later today, along with the others. As it has a Magical and Mystical theme to it, I'm going to enter it into the Pan Pastels challenge this week. Now I will admit to owning several colours of Pan Pastels, but am still learning to use them, I started making a background with them but was not happy with it. So I abandoned it and went back to the sprinkys spray inks and distress stains, I think I will need to practise a lot more with the PPs. The card is an 8x8 card base in a dark green, and the matting was a peachy/yellow shade of centura pearl card. The black stamped images are all Lavinia stamps, and the grasses and branches are all from the wild meadow stamp sheet from Chocolate Baroque. Finally I added some glitter to the wings of the fairy's.

Thank you for taking to time to look. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue

CD Sunday - A Is For...

...Automobile. The challenge this week on the CD Sunday is A is for and I've chosen Automobiles. I picked this image, which is from Joanna Sheen's Nostalgia CD, as it is my son's birthday next week and I had to make a card for my MIL to send to him. Although he will not be old enough to remember cars like these, he works for a small garage, called Stoner Racing, and will be spending this weekend working in the pits at Silverstone at their race days, so it seemed very appropriate. I've used a 8x8 cream card base and the backing paper is from Sue Smiths Stripe and Co. I went around the edge with a little walnut stain distress ink before sticking it to the base. Next I added some cogs cut from a spellbinders die set. I've used a brown card and rust card for matting the image onto and finished by adding the sentiment.

Thank you for taking the time to look. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue

FYI - Butterflies

This is another of the cards that I have to make for this weekend, it's an 80th Birthday card (I've not put the sentiment on yet). It's also another entry into the For Your Inspiration challenge, I loved the colours in this challenges photo, so it wasn't hard to make this card with colours matching the photo. The backing paper is from Artylicious Essence of Nature, available from Chocolate Baroque, the Butterfly stamps are also from Chocolate  Baroque. First I printed the backing paper, and then added lots of distress inks to change the colour. Next I stamped the swirls from Creative Expressions in opposite corners and embossed with WOW gold embossing powder. After stamping the butterflies, colouring with promarkers and then cutting the butterflies out, I stamped just the head and feelers onto the backing paper where I wanted them to be. I added some orange organza ribbon down the side of the backing paper before sticking it to the card base. The butterflies were shaped and then stuck down using glue gel, and I added a bow and also some flowers.

Thank you for taking the time to look. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue 

60th Birthday Card

Saturday afternoon, while trying to get the garden to look more normal, rather than a jungle, I had a phone call from a lady I know. She asked me if I could make her 3 birthday cards, sure no problems I said. Then she told me she needed them for the end of the week. They were all for special birthdays, 80th, 60th and 30th. She gave me some ideas for the 80th and 30th, but said the 60th for her daughter she did not know what to suggest, except that she loved children. After having a think about it myself I decided to make this one of a mother blue tit feeding her chicks, from Joanna Sheen's Jayne Netley Mayhew Collection 2. It's a decoupage image with plenty of layers, so Sunday afternoon saw me sat under the umbrella cutting out. Here is the finished card, the background paper is one that I created myself in MCS, as I did not like the one that went with the image.  I now have two more to finish.

Thank you for taking the time to look. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue

Imagine

It's time for a new challenge over on the For Your Inspiration blog, and this is the gorgeous photo. I have to agree it is a very enchanting looking forest, and this is what has inspired me this time.

First I created a background, in fact I made 2 and used both of them. The background was made using a mixture of distress stains and Sprinky spray inks, these I then over sprayed with iridescent gold Glimmer Mist spray.

For the first card I used fairy's from Chocolate Baroque, Gossamer Wings, Dragonfly Faeries and Wild Meadow stamp sheets. I stamped the faeries  first and embossed with WOW black glint embossing powder. Next I stamped the wild meadow stamps, in various shades of green distress ink along the bottom of the page. On the wild meadow sheet there is a stamp that almost looks like a fine branch, this I stamped in walnut stain at the top, along with the word Imagine, also from Chocolate Baroque. I then blended Tea Dye ink around the edges of the page.

For the second card I've used this beautiful new fairy called Luna from Lavinia Stamps, the toadstool houses are also from Lavinia. These along with the Believe stamp which is from Flower Soft, were embossed again with the Wow black glint. Again using green distress inks and the wild meadow stamp set I stamped along the bottom, and then the branch like stamp again with the walnut stain at the top. This time I blended walnut stain around the edges, and finally I added some glitter to the wings.

I've mounted both of the images onto gold mirri card, and then onto 6x6 cream card bases. I am going to enter both of the cards into the FYI challenge as I could not make up my mind which one to go with. The top one will also qualify for Judith's Forgotten Friday challenge, as many of the stamps used it was the first outing they've had for a couple of years.

Thank you for taking the time to look. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue

CD Sunday - Pearls And Swirls

The challenge this weeks on the CD Sunday blog is Pearls and Swirls, these are two of my favourite embellishments to use on cards. I've chosen to use Debbi Moore's Wedding CD for my card this week, my problem was which of the beautiful images to use. This is an 8x8 square card base in white, I matted the backing paper onto some silver mirri card and added a silver corner cut from a Marianne die. The sentiment is printed from the PC and then foiled, the swirls are also from Marianne dies. The flowers are from a Crealie die, finished with pearls in the middle. I printed the image onto some 200 gms Matt photo paper, as it has a frame around the outside of the picture, I felt that it did not need to be matted. I finished it off by adding pearls to the bottom of the image.

Thank you for taking the time to look, your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue

Twinchies, Summer

Challenge number 2 on the Show Us Your Twinchies blog is Summer. I had several ideas for this, but in the end I reached for the Faye Whittaker stamps from Joanna Sheen, and the gorgeous range of seaside stamps. Each stamp set has some small stamps, these include the sandcastle, bucket and spade and yacht, all from different sets, and ideal for this challenge.

After stamping onto the twinchie, I used distress ink pads to add some background colour. Using scattered straw for the sand and salty ocean for the sea and sky. Next I coloured the images with promarkers, then ran the twinchie along the salty ocean distress pad. Rather than just leave it, like I did last time, this time I've finished off by mounting first onto a piece of matching card then onto an A6 card base. All the bits I've used for this came out of my scraps box, including the white card I stamped onto.

Thank you for taking the time to look. Your kind comments are always appreciated.

Sue

Adorables

This month the challenge over on the Craft A Scene blog is, Inside The Garden, so I got my stamps out of the cupboard for a rummage, and found these two lovely children. They belong to a set of stamps (Adorables) and CD, designed by Jayne Nestorenko and bought to us by Crafters Companion. I remembered that on the CD there were some ready scenes, that just needed the stamped images added. You can either print out the scene as it is, or print out a decoupage version, which is one that I went for. I used an 8x8 white card base, and then used some gold mirri card and a dark green for the matting. I built the decoupage layers on to the mats, then stamped the boy and girl onto some plain white card. I coloured them in using promarkers, before cutting them out and adding them to the card. I've decided to leave a sentiment off at the moment until I know who this card will be sent to.

Now I will admit that these stamps were bought last summer, I cut them out and then put them away, and that is where they have stayed until today. So I will also enter this into the Forgotten Friday challenge over on Judith's blog, I think that it more than qualifies.

Thank you for taking the time to look. Your kind comments are aways appreciated

Sue

Echos Of Italy

The challenge over at the For Your Inspiration blog at the moment is this beautiful picture, and as soon as I saw it I knew what stamps I was going to use. As these stamps have never been inked before they also qualify for Judith's Forgotten Friday challenge as well. I'm glad to say that as I'm typing this the sky outside does match the photo, how long for is anyone's guess.

I stamped the image and coloured it using aqua pencils, then using an xcut die, cut out the image and a larger one in Centura pearl card for matting. I then used Broken China Distress Ink, and blended a little around the edge. Next I took a pale blue piece of card slightly smaller than A5 and again blended Broken China DI around the edge of that, working it into the centre a bit more. I then place some royal blur ribbon across the centre and some corners, cut from a Cherry Lyn die, onto the corners. Finally I place all of this onto an A5 white card base. I've decided at this point not to put a sentiment on the card, as it will go into my store cupboard, but looking at it I think it will make an ideal retirement card.

Thank you for taking the time to look.

Sue

CD Sunday - Best Of British

Well it's taken a week but I'm finally feeling more awake, don't know if it was Jet lag, just a very busy holiday, or still getting over Tonsillitis. I've got myself into gear and managed to make something for this weeks challenge over at C D Sunday, which this week is Best Of British. Some of you will know that at the beginning of the year I said that I would start my Christmas cards early and try to make one a week throughout the year. It's been a while since I made one, so I decided that I would try and make one for this challenge. I found this lovely image on the Nostalgia CD from Joanna Sheen, showing a beautiful red (British) post box. After spending 4 weeks in the US, where the postboxes are hard to find, as they are grayish blue and blend into the background, it's nice to see these bright red pillars standing proud and ready to receive your letters and cards.

I started by making a 8x8 card base using some deep green card, then I put the backing paper onto some gold mirri card. I added some gold die cut corners and placed some gold ribbon across the middle. I added the topper which is layered onto some gold mirri card and some of the deep green. On the topper sheet there were some round accent pictures which I cut out and added, along with a sentiment that was computer generated. I then added a deep red flower just to finish it off.

Thank you for taking the time to look.

Sue x

Another New Challenge

This will be the second new challenge that I have entered this week. My friend Sheila has a new blog Craft Creations  and has decided to start a challenge, the first one is sponsored by Chameleon Card Craft. She has provided a sketch for people to follow, the topic is up to you.

For my entry I've gone for Steampunk, and used the new Chocolate Baroque Steampunk Travel set that was released at the beginning of June. First I made a 6x6 cream card base out of A4 card, then made a brown mat, the final mat was cream, which I blended Tea Dye distress ink over, then over stamped with the small cogs from the Steampunk dreams set from Creative Expressions. I then took the mobile phone words and overstamped this onto the background. I added a ribbon across the middle, this I scrunched up as I put it along some double sided tape. The cogs were cut using a spellbinders die set, with some card candi added to the centres. For my main image I used the mobile phone from the steampunk travel set, this made me giggle when I first saw it. I stamped it onto some water colour paper with Walnut Stain distress ink, then with a water brush dragged some of the colour out to colour the image. I then very lightly blended some of the walnut stain around the edge of the image before popping it onto the card.

Thank you for taking the time to look, and please pop over to Sheila's blog and take a look.

Sue x

Twinchies

There's a new challenge blog that has started this month Show Us Your Twinchies, and it involves making tiny pieces of art measuring 2 inches by 2 inches (twinchies) or 5 cms by 5 cms. This month  is anything  goes. I would not normally make anything so small so this was defiantly a challenge for me, but once I had a rummage through my box of bits and my smaller stamps, this is what I have managed to come up with. The backgrounds are all bits from playing with water colour backgrounds, and the stamps are all from covers of the Stamper magazine, all popped into a draw and never used before. I've used colours that match the colour of the background when colouring in the stamped images, and then I ran the pen around the edge of the work to finish.

I'm off now to see what I can do with these tiny pieces.

Thank you for taking the time to look.

Sue

Home At Last

After a wonderful four weeks, I'm glad to say I'm home. We had a fantastic time but  having to changing hotels sometimes every night (the longest we stayed anywhere was Washington, and that was for three nights) it was nice to get home to my own bed and know that I would be sleeping in that bed every night.

After a bit of a damp start the weather turned warm and got warmer, right up until the last couple of days, when we had a few showers. Even then it was still very warm, it just made it a bit more humid. I got quite a shock getting home to all this rain, and have even pulled a jumper out of the cupboard this morning, as I'm feeling the lower temperature.

During our stay we travelled 5800 miles, and done a round trip from Boston to Boston. In between we went to (America) Plymouth, Cape Cod, Providence, Hartford, Philadelphia, Washington, Roanoke, Chattanooga, New Orleans, Memphis, St Louis, Chicago, Grand Rapids, (Canada) Brantford, Niagara Falls, Toronto, (America) Syracuse, Concorde, Haverhill then it was back to Boston. I must admit that I got confused as to what day it was sometimes and while I had Tonsillitis I even forgot where I was. Although my throat is a lot better, I must say that it's not quite back to normal. I'm hoping that now we're not travelling all the time that it will settle down.

I've added some photos of some of the places we visited that I have not added in previous posts. If I have to pick favourite's there are four that stand out above the rest, and those are, Washington, Cape Cod, Niagara Falls and Toronto. I missed New Orleans as I spent the day in bed, dosing myself with Antibiotics, and pain killers. Hubby and Dave went out for the day to the French Quarter and really enjoyed it. I've had to be content with looking at the photos that they took. I'm sure that sometime in the future I will go back to some of these places, and spend longer looking around. I especially want to return to Washington and Toronto these were beautiful Cities.

Anyway for now it's good to be home, I've just about finished catching up with the washing that I bought home, and of course the ironing that goes with it. I've had to go shopping to restock the essentials, so now that this is all done I might find some time to fit some crafting in.

The Gateway Arch St Louis

The Chicago Skyline From Lake Michigan

Niagara Falls, The Horseshoe Falls

Niagara Falls, The American Falls

Toronto Skyline From Lake Ontario

Looking forward to stopping by all of my favourite blogs and seeing what everyone has been up to.

Sue