Craft A Scene - Down On The Farm/Ranch

I was very privileged last week to be asked to join the DT over on the Craft A Scene blog. This is challenge that I love to participate in, so to be asked to join them is very exciting.

The challenge for April is Down on the Farm/Ranch, I was quite surprised at how many stamps that I had that fitted the theme. They are a mixture, starting with the clouds which was from Chocolate Baroque, the hills and farm land from Stamp Addicts, the wall, birds,cows and horse are from Hobby Art, and finally the grasses (I like to think they look like corn) and the sentiment are from Inkylicious.

I am lucky, as although I live in a small town, at the end of the road I live on is open countryside, and about a mile further on there is a small Church (like the one in my picture) surrounded by fields, it was great inspiration, even if it doesn't look quite like this now.

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

Sue

Make A Wish

This weeks challenge on the Artistic Inspirations blog is Fantasy, so this card using Lavinia stamps should fit in just right. I've used a background that has been made using Distress Stains and Sprinky Inks sprayed onto a glass cutting mat, and then the card place onto the inks to make a splodgy background, when dry it was sprayed with gold glimmer mists. After letting it dry I wiped the background over with an anti static bag and stamped the two fairy images (Luna and Daydream) with versamark, then embossed with black glint embossing powder. I highlighted the yellow blob in the background with Mustard Seed Distress ink. The leaves and grasses were stamped using a combination of greens from both Distress inks and Adirondack inks. Some Crystal stickles were added to the wings to make them glimmer, and the sentiment was from a sheet that came with some flower soft Stamps that I bought sometime ago. Finally I mounted the finished project onto some pale gold pearlised card and then mounted it onto an 8x8 white card base.

Thanks you for taking the time to look, and your kind comments which are always appreciated.

Sue

Easter Greetings

The challenge over on the Sincerely Yours blog at the moment is Easter, so I had a little rummage in the cupboard and got out the Baroque Eggs stamps out, (these are available from Chocolate Baroque ). I stamped one of the eggs onto some white card stock, and then embossed with white embossing powder. Next with Adirondack ink pads I blended ink over the top, first with Cool Peri and then around the edges with Purple Twilight. Next I tied a multiple bow on the bow maker and attached this around the middle of the egg. The card used for the backing are from some pads that I've brought in the past at shows, I don't know who they were made by though. Onto the lilac embossed card I stamped Easter Greetings and embossed with white. I had some pretty corner peel offs in my stash that went well with the card, so I added these as well.

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

Sue

CD Sunday - Bundle Of Joy

This weeks challenge on the CD Sunday blog is, Bundle Of Joy. This was just the excuse that I needed to go and buy this gorgeous digi image from Sugar Nellie, I've had my eye on it for a little while now, but had managed to resist. After downloading and printing off I coloured them in using pro markers.I used a spellbinders circle die to cut the image out and then onto another die from the new spellbinders released at the CHA this year. The backing papers are from Sue Smith, Stripe and Co, every striped paper has a spotted one that matches. I added some ribbon and bows to the smaller matted backing paper. The other die cuts are from Marianne dies. I couldn't decide which of the cards to post, so in the end I've popped both on.

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

Sue

Flowers

It's been a while since I took part in the challenges over on the Show Us Your Twinchies blog, but this month I've made it. They are currently challenging us to make a twinchie with either a flower or flowers on. I found this little stamp of crocus's on a Chocolate Baroque stamp sheet called Spring Foliage. I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black, and then coloured with promarkers. Using a brush I lightly coloured the background with Forest Moss Distress Ink, and then swiped the card across the edges. At this stage I like to use the twinchie, and make a card with them, so taking an A6 card blank and a piece of backing paper from my bits and pieces box, I again used Forest Moss around the edges. I placed a piece of ribbon from my stash across the middle and the sentiment is from Flower Soft.

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

Sue

Tropical Shores

This month the theme over on the Craft A Scene blog, is Tropical Shores. With all this cold weather, how I wish that I was on tropical shores right now. For this challenge I've dug out the Scenescapes stamps and using different colour Adirondack Ink pads I've created this little scene of a small tropical island, the sun with blue sky's and blue seas, and last of all a small row boat either making his way too or from the island. I've not put a sentiment on this card yet, as I'm not sure who it will be used for, but there's room at the bottom to add one later.

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

Sue

CD Sunday - Wonderful Wings

I've been so busy this last week I'm a little behind with my card for the CD Sunday challenge. This week it is Wonderful Wings. At the beginning of last week I saw a lovely new CD on Create and Craft, by Craftyhands called the Kew Floral Collection, well I just had to have it (because I don't really have hundreds of CD's already). As it arrived quickly and I had a card to make for this coming Monday, I browsed through it and came across this beautiful Bearded Iris with a butterfly, Ideal for this weeks challenge. The image has been printed off and decoupaged, then mounted onto silver mirri card. The backing papers have also been mounted onto silver mirri card, and then onto a 6x6 white card base. The corner is a Marianne die cut in white and coloured with promarkers to match the colours in the flower. I've added a bow and sentiment, which was made using the PC.

I'm hoping that things here are going to calm down a bit now, as my Mother-in-law, who has been in hospital since the week before Christmas, is finally at home. She has a care package in place with enough carers going in each day to help both her and my Father-in-law manage at home together. Also my Daughter and her Partner bought their first home together and moved in this weekend (she's not lived at home now for five years). Hubby and I are hoping to enjoy a few stress free days this week.

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

Sue

Lavinia Stamps Challenge 1

How many of us have wandered around at shows, and been spellbound by the stunning scenes created by the wonderfully talented Tracey Dutton. I know I've fallen under the spell and every show have to buy some more of these lovely stamps. Now there is a new challenge blog, from Lavinia Stamps, and for their first challenge it is Anything Goes, for the winner a £40 voucher to spend in the shop. Although I have a brayer, I've never tried making one of the lovely backgrounds like Tracey, I tend to stick to putting either Distress Inks or Sprinky Ink sprays onto my glass cutting mat, and after spritzing with some water putting plain card onto the ink and creating backgrounds this way. The background that I've used was made this way, actually with the left over from the first background, I used green and yellow Sprinkys. Then it was sprayed with Gold Glimmer Mist, and set aside until I needed to use it. I've stamped all of the images with Versamark and embossed with black glint embossing powder. Then with Distress Inks I made the yellow deeper by using Mustard Seed, I went around the outside first with Peeled Paint, then Tea Dye and finally just a small amount of Black Soot. The fairy wings were glittered used a quickie glue pen and iridescent glitter, also the fairy dust. This was then stuck onto a piece of textured gold card, which I placed a ribbon around at the top, added some flat backed pearls, all was stuck onto an A5 white card.

Thanks for taking the time to look, and your kind comments which are always appreciated.

Sue

CD Sunday - Land Of The Pharaohs

This week's challenge on the CD Sunday blog is Land Of The Pharaohs, so after putting on my thinking cap and trying to remember which CD's I had that would fit this week, I came up with the card below. I used Debbi Moore's Eastern Promise for this I used an 8x8 white card base and gold mirri card for matting. After matting the backing paper, I chose one of the scenes from the CD and taking it into MCS, I resized it before printing it off. It's not very clear but between the two figures you can see a pyramid in the background. With another of the backing papers I again took it into MCS and resized and cropped the border of hieroglyphics. The figures where also cropped and resized before being printed off twice and then layered up on the card. I've not added a sentiment as yet, as this will go into my ready card box until I need to use it. Maybe as an Anniversary card for a younger couple.

Thanks for taking the time to look, and you kind comments which are always appreciated.

Sue

Springtime

I can't believe that another month has gone by, and it's time again to post of my offerings for the Quintile swap on the Chocolate Baroque group. This month the theme is Springtime, and my first Quintile is using an A6 stamp set that was originally a guild members special offer. I stamped the background first and then masked off the daffodils and with distress inks and brushes created a soft background, I did the same with the topper and then went around the edges of both with forest moss distress ink. I coloured the daffodils in with promarkers, and added a ribbon to the background.

For my second quintile I used the crocus's from the Spring Is In the Air set of stamps and the sentiment is from the Elegant Crocus set. This time they were stamped and embossed with gold embossing powder, and coloured with distress markers. I went around the edges with old paper distress ink leaving the main of it uncoloured. I then just added some flat backed pearls.

Thanks for taking the time to look, and your kind comment which are always appreciated.

Sue

FYI 40 and Mother's Day

I'm back again with my second post today, I have just realised that if I did not post this one today I would miss the deadline for the FYI challenge (photo below). I am also going to enter this into the Sincerely Yours Challenge, which this month is Mother's Day. I started this with a black 8x8 card base and some gold mirri card and black card. My card that I worked on is about 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 which I started by blending different shades of pink and purples from the distress inks. Then taking dusky concord I overstamped using the leafy branch stamp from Ryn's designs (do go and check out her wonderful stamps). I coloured some of the leaves with the dusky concord distress marker, before mounting onto some of the gold mirri card. Next I added a black organza bow to the bottom of the card, I stamped out the flowers 6 times and several leaves from the sunny sunflowers stamp sheet from Chocolate Baroque, I then coloured them in with spectrum noir pens before cutting the out and layering them up with glue gel. I finished by mounting this all onto some more black card and then some more gold mirri card.The finished card is for my Mum for mother's day this coming Sunday. It's a good job that she doesn't have the Internet.

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

Sue

CD Sunday - Butterflies

Another week and another new challenge over on the CD Sunday blog, and this week it's Butterflies. I've used the same CD as I used last week, Josephine Wall's Enchanted Dreams, from Joanna Sheen. As it was still sitting on my desk from last week, it was the first disc I popped into the PC, and as soon as I saw this image I knew that it was the one I would use. The girl on the carpet looks just like my Great Niece, and although it's not her Birthday until later in the year I can put it away until then (I just need to remember that I've already made it). The backing paper and topper have been mounted onto gold mirri card and some matching ribbon added around the bottom. Her name "Tegan" has been cut out using the Cricut and Plantin cartridge. The butterflies are spellbinders and were in the CHA launch deal that was on Create and Craft in January.

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

Sue